Light a Candle for Climate Change

During the weekend of December 12, 2009, people all over the world will be lighting candles to spread the message that we need action on climate change. Photo: © Christian J. Stewart

The UN Climate Change Conference is fast approaching, and the fate of the world literally hangs in the balance. Will our representatives keep the real problem — the fact that at 387 parts per million (ppm) of atmospheric carbon, we’ve far surpassed the safe limit for our planet — foremost in mind? Or will they be swayed by financiers who have a vested interest in the cap and trade program, distracting the world from finding truly workable solutions?

I just watched The Story of Cap & Trade, in which Annie Leonard does a masterful job of simplifying the concept and making clear that cap & trade is not a great solution. (We’ve posted the video on our home page as well as on our Facebook page for your convenience.) Truthfully, I’m not encouraged by the coming talks. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Leonard is wrong. Maybe we’ll all be surprised by the results. Maybe.

Then again, waiting to see what happens isn’t a very effective strategy. (I’m reminded of the business book that was popular a few years ago, titled Hope Is Not a Strategy.)

350.org, the folks who brought us worldwide climate change demonstrations on October 24 of this year, are gearing up for another go. Their purpose is to continue to keep the 350 number (the maximum parts per million of atmospheric carbon that is safe for our planet) at the forefront of delegates’ minds. The group is planning candlelight vigils the weekend of December 12, during the middle of the two-week Copenhagen summit.

Vigils will take place around the world, and you’re invited to plan one in your own neighborhood. To find a scheduled vigil, view the map on the 350.org website. Or register your own vigil.

News gathered by 350.org shows that the 350 message is spreading among religious and civic leaders. Here are a few of the folks who are supporting the 350 limit, according to the organization’s latest press release:

First we heard from His All Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians-that’s one in every 20 human beings. He was speaking the language of faith — environmental desecration was a sin, he said, and “350 is an act of repentance,” and in so doing he joined the huge group of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, indigenous and other faith leaders from around the planet.  Many of these leaders are organizing “Sounds of 350″ events on Sunday, December 13th — check out www.350.org/sounds to join this interfaith initiative.

Later that day we heard from the directors of the world’s largest zoos and aquariums. Almost 800 of them signed a letter to the Copenhagen conference demanding a 350 target lest their cages become the only place to see the world’s fauna: in their words, “the climate change threat to the natural world is so severe that we’re rapidly losing suitable habitats for these species.” They were speaking the plain language of science.

And the language of politics is chiming in too. Our friend Malini Mehra, one of the extraordinary Indian activists that have made global warming a high-profile issue on the subcontinent, just sent us a copy of her latest essay, which described October 24th “an awe-inspiring move by ordinary people to send a clear message to their cloth-eared political leaders: climate change required real action.” Given that too many at Copenhagen “are discussing a 450 ppm target, such calls may seem heroic at best and implausible at worst. But public opinion will be a decisive force in this debate. And public opinion is now getting globally organized. Importantly, as the 350.org events showed, more and more young people are becoming politicized on this issue. Politicians had better prepare to listen — the personal impacts could very well lie in store at the ballot box.”

That momentum builds and builds: we just found out that Oceana, a wonderful international NGO devoted to protecting the world’s seas, has organized advertising billboards for 350 all over Copenhagen-delegates won’t be able to ride the subway or even land at the airport without seeing that number. Our advance team is already on the ground, and more of our (exactly!) 350 young people from around the world (we think it’s the largest accredited team at the Copenhagen conference!) arrive each day.

A groundswell of support is building. Will our nations’ representatives listen to our voices? Will they place the interests of the people ahead of the interests of big business? Let’s make sure they hear our message loud and clear as we stand in silence, holding our tiny flames of protest — and hope. Will you join us?

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)