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350
Formation2007
TypeNGO
Purposecut CO2 emissions and build a global movement for climate solutions
HeadquartersBerkeley, California, USA
Founders
Bill McKibben
Websitewww.350.org

350.org is an international environmental organization,[1][2][3] headed by author Bill McKibben,[4] with the goal of building a global grassroots movement to raise awareness of anthropogenic climate change, to confront climate change denial, and to cut emissions of one of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide,[5][6] in order to slow the rate of global warming. 350.org takes its name from the research of NASA scientist James E. Hansen, who posited in a 2007 paper that 350 parts-per-million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere is a safe[7] upper limit to avoid a climate tipping point.[8][9][10][11][12]

The group reports that they organised the world's "most widespread day of political action" on Saturday October 24, 2009, reporting 5,245 actions in 181 countries.[13][14][15]

Origins

Bill McKibben speaks at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008.

The organization was founded by author Bill McKibben,[16] an American environmentalist and writer who frequently writes about global warming, alternative energy, and the need for more localised economies. McKibben promotes the organisation, for instance by writing articles about it for many major newspapers and media, such the Los Angeles Times[17] and The Guardian.[18]

The organising effort drew its name from climate scientist James Hansen's contention in winter 2008 that any atmospheric concentration of CO2 above 350 parts per million was unsafe. James Hansen opined that "if humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm, but likely less than that."[19] Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, rose by 2.3 parts per million to 389 ppm in 2010 from the previous year.[20]

McKibben first started to organize against global warming with a walk across Vermont, his home state. His "Step It Up" campaign in 2007 involved 1,400 demonstrations at famous sites across the United States. McKibben credits these activities with making Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama change their energy policies during the presidential campaign. Later, the meltdown of the polar caps pushed him into starting 350.org, based on Hansen's 2007 book Climate Code Red.[21]

Rajendra Pachauri, the U.N.'s "top climate scientist" and leader of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has come out in favor of reducing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide to 350 ppm.[22][23][24] McKibben called news of Pachauri's embrace of the 350ppm target "amazing".[25] Some media have indicated that Pachauri's endorsement of the 350 ppm target was a victory for 350.org's activism.[26][27][28]

The organisation had a lift in prominence after founder McKibben appeared on The Colbert Report television show on Monday August 17, 2009.[29][30][31]

The organisation disseminates its message through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.[32][33]

Goals

The 350 movement is treating the 350ppm cap as a rallying cry for a 2009 COP15 international treaty.[34] 350 member Alec Appelbaum stated that "We need global compacts to enforce carbon caps, because emissions change the climate whether or not they come from regulated sources. But we also need ingenious businesses to make those caps meaningful. That’s true because no matter how severely we warp the climate, we have to go on living."[35] The overall goal is to influence governments to adopt policies that would lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Activities

10/10/10 Global Work Party

10.10.10.
350.org in Baku, Azerbaijan

As a follow-up to 2009's International Day of Climate Action, 350.org and the 10:10 campaign joined to help coordinate another global day of action which occurred on October 10th, 2010. The 2010 campaign is focused on concrete actions that can be taken locally to help combat climate change. Actions from tree-plantings to solar panel installations to huge electricity service-provider switching parties occurred in almost every country around the world.[36][37][38]

International Day of Climate Action

International Day of Climate Action. Taganrog, Rostov Region, Russia. October 24, 2009

An "International Day of Climate Action" on October 24, 2009, was organized by 350.org to influence the delegates going to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in December, 2009 (COP15).[39][40] This was the first global campaign ever organized around a scientific data point.[41] The actions organised by 350.org included gigantic depictions of the number "350",[42][43] walks,[44][45] marches, rallies, teach-ins, bike rides, sing-a-thons, carbon-free dinners, retrofitting houses to save energy,[46] tree plantings,[47] mass dives at the Great Barrier Reef, solar-cooked bake-outs, churches bell ringings, underwater cabinet meetings (Maldives),[48][49] and armband distributions to athletes.[50][51][52] The organization reported that over 5,200 synchronized demonstrations occurred in 181 countries on the day.[53][54][55]

General activities

Apart from special events, 350.org organises actions on an ongoing basis to promote its message. These activities include tree plantings (350 trees in each instance) for biosequestration,[56][57][58][59][60][61] promoting the term "350",[62][63][64][65][66] publishing adverts in major newspapers calling for the target level of carbon dioxide to be lowered to 350ppm,[67] conducting polls on the subject of climate change,[68][69] educating youth leaders,[70][71] lobbying governments on the issue of carbon targets,[72] and joining a campaign to establish a .eco top-level domain or "tld".[73] In December 2009, the group petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ to set national limits for greenhouse gases using the Clean Air Act, asking the agency to cap atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at 350 parts per million.[74]

Membership

350.org claims alliance with 300 organisations around the world[75][76] and has enlisted "350 messengers" who have publicly allied themselves with the organisation or its goal to spread the 350 movement,[46][77] including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bianca Jagger, David Suzuki, and Colin Beavan.[78]

1Sky merged into 350.org in 2011.[79][80][81]

See also

References

  1. ^ On the 350.org website they identify themselves in their mission statement as 350.org rather than 350. They state: "350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that science and justice demand."
  2. ^ In a Mother Jones article, it states that "350.org is an international organization calling everyday citizens to action with the belief that raising awareness around the number 350 will put pressure on world leaders to aggressively address climate change, causing a paradigm shift in how individual countries approach a global problem."
  3. ^ In an Otago Daily Times article, 350.org is described as "an environmental organisation which is trying to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (for reference see example Gilbert Plass Scientific American July 1959 article), in the atmosphere from more than 385 parts per million to 350 parts per million."
  4. ^ Scott, Cameron (2009-10-15). "The Thin Green Line : Warming up for Copenhagen". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  5. ^ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbon-dioxide-and-climate
  6. ^ "Our Team's History". www.350.org. Retrieved 2009-10-18. {{cite web}}: Text "350.org" ignored (help)
  7. ^ http://www.poptech.org/popcasts/dan_gilbert__poptech_2007 Why haven’t we rallied our collective power to solve global warning? by Daniel Gilbert (psychologist)
  8. ^ http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/124985.html
  9. ^ “Fact sheet: The need for mitigation.” UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. June 2009. (Retrieved 2009-09-01.)
  10. ^ “350 Science,” 350.org (Retrieved 2009-09-01.)
  11. ^ McKibben, Bill (2007-12-28). "Remember This: 350 Parts Per Million". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  12. ^ Spyros, George. “350: The Most Important Number of Your Lifetime,” TreeHugger. April 14, 2008. (Retrieved 2009-09-01.)
  13. ^ "350.org". www.350.org. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  14. ^ "The Global Climate Movement Comes of Age". good.is. Retrieved 2009-10-28. {{cite web}}: Text "GOOD" ignored (help)
  15. ^ http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1400500&seccao=Sul Dezenas de pessoas apelam a acordo na Cimeira de Copenhaga Diário de Notícias
  16. ^ "No Impact Man and the Idiotocracy -- The Projectionist". nymag.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  17. ^ McKibben, Bill (2009-05-15). "Can 350.org save the world? - Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  18. ^ McKibben, Bill (2009-09-26). "Why 350 is the most important number on the planet". London: Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-26. {{cite news}}: Text "Environment" ignored (help); Text "Opinion" ignored (help); Text "The Guardian" ignored (help)
  19. ^ Hansen, J., et al. “Target atmospheric CO2: Where should humanity aim?” Open Atmos. Sci. J., 2, 217-231, 2008. (Retrieved 2009-09-01.)
  20. ^ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=update-3-record-high-greenhouse-gas
  21. ^ "350 and counting - Haaretz - Israel News". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  22. ^ "Pachauri's call for 350ppm is breakthrough moment for climate movement". London: guardian.co.uk. 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite news}}: Text "Bill McKibben" ignored (help); Text "Environment" ignored (help); Text "guardian.co.uk" ignored (help)
  23. ^ Johnson, Keith (2009-08-25). "Climate Debate: IPCC Head Pachauri Joins the 350 Club - Environmental Capital - WSJ". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  24. ^ "AFP: Top UN climate scientist backs ambitious CO2 cuts". Agence France-Presse. www.google.com. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  25. ^ "The Great Beyond: Pachauri endorses 350ppm CO2 target". Nature (journal). Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  26. ^ "Activist Victory: UN's top climate scientist endorses 350 ppm goal (Stop Global Warming - Change.org)". globalwarming.change.org. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  27. ^ "350.org - UN Scientist Rajendra Pachauri - Colbert Bump for 350.org - thedailygreen.com". thedailygreen.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  28. ^ "UN Scientist Claims 350 PPM Is New Magic Number". www.triplepundit.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17. {{cite web}}: Text "Triple Pundit" ignored (help)
  29. ^ "The Colbert Report Full Episode". Comedy Central. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{cite web}}: Text "Comedy Central" ignored (help); Text "Monday Aug 17 2009" ignored (help)
  30. ^ "ABC7.com Green Content - 350.org enjoys the 'Colbert bump'". www.greenrightnow.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  31. ^ "Bill McKibben". Colbert Nation. Retrieved 2009-09-17. {{cite web}}: Text "ColbertNation.com" ignored (help); Text "The Colbert Report 05112" ignored (help)
  32. ^ "YouTube - 350.org: Because the world needs to know". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  33. ^ "GreenPolicyProf". greenpolicyprof.org. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  34. ^ "Home - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009". en.cop15.dk. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  35. ^ "How a Carbon Cap Number Can Make Millionaires". The Faster Times. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite web}}: Text "Green Economy" ignored (help)
  36. ^ Community Gardeners in Ossining have own Global Work Party | LoHud.com | The Journal News
  37. ^ Global work party focuses on global warming prevention - WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS
  38. ^ Silicon Valley joins Global Work Party to combat climate change - San Jose Mercury News
  39. ^ "350: The magic number › [[Japan Today]]: Japan News and Discussion". www.japantoday.com. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  40. ^ "Countdown to Copenhagen - Comment". The Varsity (newspaper). Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  41. ^ "Aspen to spell it out: 'Save Snow'". Aspen Timesaspentimes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-20. {{cite web}}: Text "AspenTimes.com" ignored (help)
  42. ^ "Bloomington and the world campaign against climate change". www.bloomingtonalternative.com. Retrieved 2009-10-19. {{cite web}}: Text "The Bloomington Alternative" ignored (help)
  43. ^ "350-degree turnaround needed in climate change talks". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite web}}: Text "Jerusalem Post" ignored (help); Text "Science and Environment" ignored (help)
  44. ^ "The World Link : Activist's 350-mile trek highlights climate change". www.theworldlink.com. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  45. ^ "Why I am walking 350 miles - OregonLive.com". www.oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  46. ^ a b "Take Action - Campaigns - 350.org - the ultimate climate change campaign? - The Ecologist". www.theecologist.org. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  47. ^ http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=can-trees-save-us-from-climate-chan-09-04-24 Can Trees Save Us from Climate Change? Trees and other plants suck up carbon dioxide, so we might think planting forests will halt global warming. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
  48. ^ "Maldives Holds Underwater Cabinet Meeting To Bring Attention to Climate Change : TreeHugger". www.treehugger.com. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  49. ^ "The Hindu : News / International : Maldives cabinet to meet underwater to highlight perils of climate change". beta.thehindu.com. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  50. ^ "MetLife Returns For A Second Year As Professional Cycling Teams Title Sponsor". www.reuters.com. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{cite news}}: Text "Reuters" ignored (help)
  51. ^ "Bloomberg Printer-Friendly Page". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  52. ^ "2009 Press Releases at MetLife". www.metlife.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  53. ^ Revkin, Andrew C. (2009-10-25). "Campaign Against Emissions Picks Number". The New York Times.
  54. ^ "International day of demonstrations on climate change". CNN.com. 2009-10-26.
  55. ^ "Group Holds '350' Climate Change Rally In SF - cbs5.com". cbs5.com. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  56. ^ "Green Left - Oil, gas and coal: climate vandalism in WA". www.greenleft.org.au. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  57. ^ "Challenge from BDC to make target '350'". The Coffs Coast Advocate. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{cite web}}: Text "Coffs Coast Advocate" ignored (help); Text "Local News" ignored (help)
  58. ^ "Local Fruit Tree Planting Project is Blossoming - The Manchester Journal". www.manchesterjournal.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  59. ^ "Sustainability Coalition Hosts Planning Meeting for Climate Change Campaign - WIVT/WBGH Newschannel34". WIVT. Retrieved 2009-09-19. [dead link]
  60. ^ "Guam joins Global Day of Climate Action". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2009-10-07. [dead link]
  61. ^ "Fort Myers native plant sale offers positive ways to reduce carbon dioxide levels". news-press.com. Retrieved 2009-10-18. {{cite web}}: Text "The News-Press" ignored (help); Text "news-press.com" ignored (help) [dead link]
  62. ^ "timestranscript.com - Sackville goes green - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada". timestranscript.canadaeast.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  63. ^ "Stand up to make a statement". Fairfax New Zealand news portal. Retrieved 2009-09-17. {{cite web}}: Text "Stuff.co.nz" ignored (help) [dead link]
  64. ^ "FinancialContent.com - Stock Quotes and Business News". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  65. ^ "'350 gives us a target' - SWVAToday.com". SW Virgina Today. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  66. ^ "Via Spectacular Aerial Art, 350.org Tells Climate Negotiatiors Time is Ticking : TreeHugger". TreeHugger.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  67. ^ Pilkington, Ed (2008-06-23). "Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{cite news}}: Text "Environment" ignored (help); Text "The Guardian" ignored (help)
  68. ^ "Survey: Asians see Obama as man to lead fight on climate change : Environment". Earth Times. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  69. ^ "People of Asia want their governments to act - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009". en.cop15.dk. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  70. ^ "Caribbean Youth Call for 350ppm, Urgent Action in Copenhagen « It's Getting Hot In Here". itsgettinghotinhere.org. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  71. ^ "Kids urge leaders to do more to protect Earth - INSIDE JoongAng Daily". joongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  72. ^ "Greenies urge Australia to lead world". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  73. ^ "StreetInsider.com - Dot Eco LLC and 350.org Announce Mutual Support of Their Missions to Rise to the Challenge of the Climate Crisis". www.streetinsider.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  74. ^ Bravender, Robin (2009-12-02). "Groups Petition EPA to Set Greenhouse Gas Limits Under Clean Air Act". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  75. ^ http://www.350.org/friends
  76. ^ http://www.350.org/people
  77. ^ "Emergency Appeal - Please, We Urgently Need Your Help Now!". Z Communications. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  78. ^ "International day of demonstrations on climate change". CNN.com. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  79. ^ http://www.huntingtonnews.net/3576
  80. ^ http://www.1sky.org/blog/2011/04/joining-350org-the-next-phase
  81. ^ http://www.350.org/en/new350-announcement
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