350 -The Most Important Number in the World

Hi,

I was listening to Bill McKibben recently. He is the author of "End of Nature", a book he wrote in 1989. It seems he was was the first to warn of global warming, 20 years ago!

View the short video below, which is deliberately wordless so that it needs no translation. It has proved very effective in mobilising the communities around the world into taking responsibility for their actions. Now they can go out there and make the necessary impact. They can do something to change the course and momentum of the global warming. Activists like Mr McKibben are calling for changes in attitude, cultures, efficiencies in energy consumption in homes, production lines to becoming central parts of our lives.

He first raised an alarm about global warming in 1989 but, he says, he never dreamed the crisis would come as soon as it has. Even 18 months ago the scientific view was not as bad as it is today. Click on the link below to learn about the movement Mr McKibben and 6 of his friends founded.

An increase of 1⁰C so far has already caused the following:

1. new diseases in some countries. eg dengue fever in Bangladesh


2. changes in hydrological cycles arid land experiencing drying out faster and wetter areas, getting inundated with frequent heavy rainfalls and flooding


3. rivers drying out and bigger and more frequent forest and bush fires


4. tens of millions of pine forests killed off by pine bark beetles as they did not die in the cold winters as winters are so warm nowadays


5. 80% of sunlight energy falling on polar ice caps is reflected. But no more now. when sunlight is absorbed, it melts the permafrost (permanently frozen ice, ie ice that does not melt in summer). This releases millions of tons of methane which usually lies below the permafrost. Methane is many times more powerful green house gas than carbon dioxide.


6. For 10,000 years, since the civilisation of man, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has remained at around 275 ppm. In Jan 2008 it has been found to be 350 ppm. Anything above this concentration will not be tolerated. It means the planet is "sick". The symptoms are already seen in Arctic ice melting, rivers drying up etc.


7. Global warming and cooling are not new to the planet. However, this time it is caused by man and it is happening way too fast. This does not allow the organisms (plants and animal species) to adapt to these changes as it is happening too fast.

The tipping point is - or was - the number '350'. This is the level in the atmosphere of CO₂ in parts per million that will cause global warming to go beyond our control. And we are reaching this number... just... about... NOW! This is why McKibben calls 350 The Most Important Number in the World

Watch this space around October 24 this year, and look out for events focused on 350 that you can get involved in between now and then - or organise an activity of your own.

To listen to songs on the environment by Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil, click on the link below:

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett



Cheers