By SHAWN DELL JOYCE
Creators Syndicate
The number 350 seems so innocent, so small, so prime and so human-scaled that you can picture it in your mind. It's not like those inconceivable numbers, such as the trillions that measure the national debt or the billions that measure world population or the millions that measure the carbon in the atmosphere.
Three hundred fifty parts per million is the "safe" level of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, according to NASA scientist James Hansen. We are currently at 385 ppm. A "safe" level, in this case, means a degree of concentration at which we can avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change, such as a sea level rise that would swallow the world's coastlines and a radical redistribution of groundwater that would turn farmlands into deserts.
In Hansen's words, "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." What Hansen is warning us about is that we have overshot the point at which the climate will be able to maintain the temperature range our species needs to thrive.
We humans are not designed to react well to such news. It is difficult for us to perceive a gradual change in our climate as a threat to our existence. We have evolved to recognize a snarling saber-toothed tiger in our cave, not a slight change in temperature, as dangerous. Give us high drama and we can handle it, but slow and steady change is a real challenge.
In Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," he likens humanity's response to global warming to a frog sitting in a pan on a stove. At first, we rather enjoy the warmer winters and don't seem to notice the gradually increasing heat until it is too late. Our goose is cooked! So what will it take to motivate us as a species to put aside our petty concerns and work together as a world community to address climate change?
This is the "defining moment" for our species, in the words of Nobel laureate Rajendra Pachauri. We are making history, and future generations will judge us by our actions (or lack thereof) at this very moment. Will our grandchildren condemn us for making the planet uninhabitable in the relentless pursuit of profit? Or will they celebrate us as we celebrate our grandparents, whose ingenuity and elbow grease got us through the Great Depression and World War II?
Many people around the world are optimistic about the change Barack Obama's presidency will bring. In Obama's words, his "presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change." It will make a big difference having climate-conscious leadership at a national level at this crucial time. But what will make the biggest difference is what happens at the local level. Will we make the personal changes and cultural changes necessary to meet the 350 ppm goal?
It is time to "roll up our sleeves" and put our hope into action, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, which is the home of energy-efficiency guru Amory Lovins. "Applied hope is not mere optimism," Lovins notes. "The optimist treats the future as fate, not choice, and thus fails to take responsibility for making the world we want. Applied hope is a deliberate choice of heart and head."
Environmental Defense calls for a "new patriotism," which is "not only about love of country. It is also about a shared commitment to the welfare of our planet." They call on Americans to:
--Be thoughtful consumers by minimizing our personal global warming "footprint."
--Be active citizens by pressing our elected officials to take urgent action now and by pressing all candidates for office to commit to passing strong legislation to cut America's global warming pollution.
--Spread the word by educating our friends, neighbors and loved ones and making sure they recognize that each of us has a role to play in meeting this all-important challenge.
Applied hope means taking action now to curb climate change. Actions can range from boldly challenging new coal-burning power plants in your state to going to town board meetings and pressuring elected officials to pass local laws that make people use energy more efficiently, that encourage open spaces, and that preserve forests and farms. In my community, artists are hanging "prayer flags" that feature 350 reasons to curb climate change. If you want to see what others are doing or to post your own action, visit www.350.org.
People around the world are taking action to draw attention to the number 350. Scientists say 350 parts per million is the safe level of carbon in the atmosphere. These students -- from Royal College in Mumbai, India -- wanted to create awareness of a small solution to climate change: the use of bicycles instead of motor vehicles.
