Last year, millions of people from nearly every country on the planet were united by a common purpose: to build a powerful global movement to solve the climate crisis.

The slideshow on the left is just a sampling of the more than 25,000 photos of people uniting in a global call for 350, the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

October 24th, 2009 was called "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history," with more than 5200 events in 181 countries. We increased pressure throughout the Copenhagen climate talks: we lobbied inside, we protested outside, and we organized thousands of candlelight vigils with partners around the world.

But now the Copenhagen climate talks have come and gone, and we don't have the fair, ambitious, and binding treaty this global movement--and the latest science--demands.

But this is not over: 2010 will be a crucial year for the growth of the movement--and for its evolution. Please join us.



350 Updates

Okay, we're a bit tired

By Bill McKibben
• 21 December, 2009 - 14:01

But--good news today. 100 groups have today endorsed the petition filed with the United States Environmental Protection Agency by 350.org and the Center for Biological Diversity (which did almost all the work). The petititon asks the EPA to set the official safe air quality standard for the US at 350 ppm co2. Since carbon dioxide is a globally mixed gas, it's not quite like the other pollution the act usually regulates this way--but it turns out there are provisions in the law which make it possible for America's environmental regulators to figure out what the country's contribution to a safe atmosphere should be.

In any event, Barack Obama has said often that Congress is a major stumbling block to taking action of the type he'd like. Here's something his administration can do without even asking the Senate! Read the whole list of supporting groups here: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/global...

 

Onward!

On We Go

By The 350.org Team
• 21 December, 2009 - 06:49

Dear friends,

We need you to read this closely, if you would.

You've always counted on us to tell the truth, and it would be useless to pretend we're happy with the outcome of the Copenhagen climate talks.

You'll likely hear the Copenhagen drama spun in a thousand different ways, but here's our honest take on the outcome: our leaders have been a disappointment, and the talks have ended without any kind of fair, ambitious, or legally binding global agreement.  It's unclear whether the weak "accord" which emerged early this morning will provide a platform strong enough to deliver the kind of action we'll need in 2010 and beyond.

That doesn't mean you have failed. On the contrary, the movement you have built around the world allowed everyone to understand the scientific issues at stake. Over and over in Copenhagen, UN delegates came up to anyone wearing a 350 t-shirt with words of wonder and gratitude. We were told repeatedly how much this movement has altered both the tone and substance of these negotiations.

For the first time since these climate talks began almost 20 years ago, a citizens' movement has made it much harder for the great powers to simply impose a weak agreement on everyone else-that's why the US, China, and India had to cut their own deal amongst themselves.  Many small nations, poor nations, and vulnerable nations simply refused to go along smoothly with a global suicide pact-because they knew that 350 equaled survival.

Indeed, that very chant--"Three-Five-Oh...Sur-vi-val!"--went up spontaneously among the crowd of hundreds of young people who gathered in the freezing cold at 1 a.m. under the subway stop outside the Bella Center, where the talks were being held in Copenhagen. They hadn't been allowed inside for days -- last night they came to stand outside and deliver the verdict from the movement: this is not enough, this is not over, and we are witnessing a monumental failure of leadership.

That failure can't be allowed to stand. It is our future, the future of every spot on earth and of every person in every generation to come. So we will together, in the weeks and months ahead, figure out how to build a stronger movement, one that will head this earth back where it needs to go. You'll hear from us in the weeks ahead with new ideas, and if you have some of your own please share them by e-mailing organizers@350.org.

We're approaching a period of holiday around much of the world, and when the new year dawns it won't be all that we'd hoped for. But we are confident, and that confidence comes from you. From every corner of the world, in places warm and cold, poor and rich, Muslim and Christian and Hindu and Buddhist and Jewish and none-of-the-above, we share one basic message: 350 equals survival.

On we go.

The 350.org team

P.S.-Just in case you're feeling a little down, here's a special selection of pictures that our friend Shadia Fayne Wood put together after Oct. 24 labeled "350 Cute." They remind us what we're fighting for.

Malé, The Maldives

Helsinki, Finland

Abyan, Yemen

To see the full selection (an incredible 250+ photo collection), click here: www.350.org/cute

Not done yet

By Jamie
• 19 December, 2009 - 05:58

You may have noticed that a number of our partners' websites are all sharing the same landing page today that reads, "Not done yet." It's a message for our leaders: the result here in Copenhagen is not sufficient to get us back to 350 ppm and they need to redouble their efforts for a fair, ambitious and binding global accord. And it's also a message for our movement: we're just getting started.

Here are some of the reasons I think we're not done yet.

We're not done yet, because the coral reefs are still bleaching:

We're not done yet, because every child deserves a sustainable future: 

We're not done yet because our movement is big, powerful, and incredibly beautiful: 

 

"We've go to be relentless."

By Jamie
• 19 December, 2009 - 04:49

John Quigley of Spectral Q has been one of our longest allies in this movement (for those of you who remember, Step It Up 2007, John organized the aerial in Park City, Utah that kicked that campaign off). Here's a video of him explaining the vigil and image that hundreds of citizens formed last night in Copenhagen: 

The police stopped us from using the lift that had been rented for the event -- don't get us started on the dismal conduct of Danish police throughout this entire process -- so the image had to be taken from a far away rooftop, making the image less clear then we would have liked. But the message was clear on the ground. As John says in the video, "You just gotta keep going and be relentless. Ultimately, it was about creating some energy as we leave here and go back to where we come from and keep the movement going."

The Fight for the UN: "Collective Action is the Only Effective Action."

By Jamie
• 19 December, 2009 - 03:42

Just when you thought things were over... Last night, the media made a big hoopla about a supposed "Copenhagen Accord" that President Obama helped negotiate and heralded it as the final result of Copenhagen climate talks. They were wrong.

As last night went on, it was clear that the entire world wasn't going to back down in the face of bullying from a few powerful countries -- the picture in this post is from a protest that hundreds of us joined at 1:00 AM last night outside the Bella Center where the talks were taking place. At 3:00 AM, Prime Minister Rasumussen of Denmark, who under official UN rules acts as chair of the conference, tried to rush the accord through as a new political deal without gaining consensus from the assembled countries. Even as Rasmussen banged his gavel, Tuvalu buzzed in and demanded to speak. Looking exhausted, Tuvalu's lead negotiator Ian Fry, spoke clearly and forcefully: this deal is a sham, our survival is not negotiable, we refuse to sign at this point.

Tuvalu's remarks unleashed another few hours of debate. With high emotions running on all sides, country after country expressed their frustration with attempts by the US and it's coalition of polluters to subvert the UN process. Yet, in the end, it was clear that many small countries felt like they were backed into a corner and had no choice but to accept the agreement as it stood. As President Mohamed Nasheed of the Malvides said, "I will be the first to be unsatisfied with this document. But it is a starting point. This document allows us to continue talks and come to a legally binding treaty. I ask you all: please do not delete this document." 

That's by no means the consensus position: many developing countries and activists feel the best strategy would be to call the entire process a sham and refuse to come to any agreement, at all. At this point, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure where I stand.

What's clear is this -- the talks aren't over yet. Exactly what the "Copenhagen Accord" means is important. Not because it will have a major effect on emissions -- it's clear now that no strong action will come out of these talks -- but because the outcome of the final hours in Copenhagen will play a large role in shaping the structure and power of the UN in the future. 

What we saw in here in Copenhagen was an effort on the part of a few rich countries, lead by the US, to undermine the United Nations process. To sideline not just civil society, but over 100 nations, and come up to an agreement on their own. The fact that they didn't succeed -- that they're still debating at the UN, that poor countries are still standing strong and fighting hard -- is an incredible testament to the movement you have helped build around the world. You helped show that this debate wasn't just about the US and a few big polluters, it is about all of us -- like these children in Ghana, for example: 

The UN is by no means perfect. If anything, these two-weeks in Copenhagen have shown the fragility of the system and just how easy it is for a few obstructionist countries to undermine the talks. Is it corrupt beyond repair? Is it worth scrapping? I don't think so. And I'd caution those who are tempted to trash the United Nations to think carefully about the implications that has for smaller countries who may have no other venue to make their voices heard and negotiate for their survival.

As Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said this morning, "Collective action is the only effective action." He was talking about the UN, but he could just as well have been talking about us. As we figure out exactly what happened here in Copenhagen, we'll surely hold on to the lesson that has served us along: when we take action together, when we don't act individually as nations, but collectively as people, we can make real change.

Developing Countries Keep Hope Alive in Copenhagen

By May
• 18 December, 2009 - 18:25

It's 3:19 AM in Copenhagen, and we just got back from a hastily organized vigil outside the Bella Center. Now we're listening to webcasts from the plenary inside the Bella Center, listening to Tuvalu, Bolivia, and Venezuela stand up to the "Copenhagen Accord" put forward by the U.S, China, India, and South Africa. Tuvalu's negotiator, Ian Frye, spoke eloquently and said, "We're being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our children." In no uncertain terms, Tuvalu rejected the accord. Boliva now has the floor, and is equally strongly speaking up on behalf of the process initiated by the UN, toward achieving an agreement actually in line with science and justice.

To see these speeches for yourselves, check out this link.

End of a long day, Start of a long road

By Bill McKibben
• 18 December, 2009 - 17:20

There will be time for full post-mortems on the "deal" that the US, China, India and South Africa struck tonight. The initial impression of most journalists is that it was a failure--indeed, that's the word the Guardian uses in its headline. It has no real targets, no real timetables, not really much of anything very useful. And it was reached without the participation of most of the countries that will suffer most and have contributed least to the problem.

And yet there was a strangely hopeful gathering outside the Bella Center in the freezing cold after midnight. Mostly young people, chanting slogans--especially 3-5-0--long into the night. They were upset, but they were also optimistic--because they know that the one undeniable thing about this conference is that it reflected the growing power of a people's movement around the world. You were heard. We're not strong enough yet to dominate the talks--that's still the fossil fuel industry. But we're strong enough to make it harder for the great powers simply to impose their will behind the scenes. This time the power grab was out in the open. People have learned a lot about both climate science and international relations in the last few weeks--it will pay off in the months ahead. Stay tuned--and stay hopeful. We haven't won...yet.

Video from Last Night's Vigil for Survival in Copenhagen

By Jamie
• 18 December, 2009 - 10:54

Take a look at this video from the beautiful "vigil for survival" in Copenhagen last night, inspired by the thousands of vigils that this movement hosted around the world last weekend.

People keep asking

By Bill McKibben
• 18 December, 2009 - 10:52

how we're doing. The answer is, we're doing pretty well because every tough report from the Bella Center is matched by a new photo arriving from somewhere around the world. This movement just keeps growing. Today they come from Tamil Nadu, Kenya, Cuernavaca Mexico, Buenos Aires, and New Caledonia. A movement is our hope and our joy.

Climate Sham[e], Climate Hope

By Jamie
• 18 December, 2009 - 07:41

It's only 4:00 pm in Copenhagen, but the sun has already set and the cold night has set in. The general gloom could be a reflection of the faces of many activists here in Copenhagen, many of them huddled in the Oksnehallen warehouse in downtown Copenhagen, exiled from the Bella Center where the actual UN negotiations are taking place.

In the last few days, 99% of civil society participants have been denied access to the talks over supposed security concerns, forcing groups like ourselves to improvise (lucky for 350.org, we've got an incredible team still on the inside: Subhashni Raj, one of our 350.org organizers, who is now officially on the Fijian delegation, and Mike Tidwell, who has a press badge from his excellent show at Earth Beat radio and is leading a small media team that's still working the press room).

Yet, despite a lack of direct access and a pervailing sense that developing countries are failing to provide real leadership, many of the people that I have been talking to here in Copenhagen remain doggedly hopeful. Not because they expect a miracle speech from Obama or a breakthrough between the US and China. Not because they think the EU will come up with an innovative finance package or that Australia and others will stop bullying smaller countries. In fact, their hope has little to do with our supposed "leaders" at all. It has to do with you and all of us.

Last night, I took part in a candlelight vigil at the Osknehallen warehouse to solemnly mark a day of fasting around the world that thousands of you took part in. At the vigil, Gopal Dayeneni, an organizer with Movement Generation who's been working for years with social movements around the world, told the crowd that in his eyes the movement for climate justice and global equity has never seemed more united. Over the past few weeks, said Gopal, we have seen unprecedented collaboration and solidarity not just between organizers here in Copenhagen, but between citizens all over the planet.

I know I feel that sense of unity here in Copenhagen and I hope you feel it wherever you are, as well. 

In less than an hour, hundreds of us will gather in a snowy courtyard outside the Osknehallen to stand with candles and torches and form the words "Climate Sham" and then transform into the words "Climate Shame" for an aerial photograph. The image will express the frustration and anger that we want to convey to the world leaders who are blocking progress here at the talks yet still trying to spin Copenhagen as some sort of success. We know that's just greenwash and we need to get the world media to tell that story as well -- AP, Reuters, and many other media outlets have confirmed that they'll show to take the photo and send it around the world.

Yet, we'll also be forming another message: "Climate Hope." It's not a message for our leaders or for the media, it's a message for our movement. It's a reminder that this fight isn't over and that despite the odds stacked against us, we're still keeping hope alive. Martin Luther King, Jr., who faced a lot of dissapointments and setbacks in his life, once said, "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."

Copenhagen will be a dissapointment, that's for sure, but this movement has been a resounding success in so many ways. When I'm standing in the cold this evening, I'll be thinking of all of the citizens around the world who braved cold, wind and rain, burning heat, and yes, numerous setbacks and dissapointments, to take part in the actions and events we've done together this year, especially on October 24 and just last weekend.

I'm infinitely grateful for all that you and so many others have contributed to this effort. I'll end now with another King quote that comes to mind: "Keep moving."