On Saturday, October 24, people in more than 180 countries came together in what was the most widespread day of environmental action ever.  At more than 5,000 events in cities and towns across the planet, people gathered to call for strong leadership and bold action to deal with the world climate crisis.

     I am greatly encouraged that so many people all over the world are insisting, loudly and clearly, that the world’s governments get with it and take the decisive actions necessary to avert the worst effects of global warming.  And I am happy that these actions were witnessed by lots more people, who are now more aware than they were before, of just how important it is that we address this planetary emergency. 

     People organized attention-grabbing events and showed in many vivid ways that we must lower the proportion of carbon in our atmosphere to 350 parts per million (ppm) if we are to maintain a planet that resembles the one on which we were born.  Currently, we are at about 385 ppm of carbon, and that proportion is on the rise. 

     Here are a few examples of the events that took place on the International Day of Climate Action:

• In the Maldive Islands, scuba divers demonstrated that their island nation is rapidly disappearing under rising seas by descending beneath the waves with signs and banners calling for a sustainable 350 ppm of carbon in the atmosphere.  
• In Kitale, Kenya, people held a bicycle parade through town, complete with banners and signs, followed by the formation of the numerals 350 by hundreds of people in a field.
• In Johannesburg and Sydney, people spelled out giant 3s with their bodies.  Then in London and Zurich, people made immense 5s, followed by people in Copenhagen and Quito forming huge zeros.  “CNN will have to do our work for us,” says 350.org founder Bill McKibben, “putting together the puzzle to show that you can’t solve this problem without crossing borders, without thinking of the planet as, well, a planet.”
• The Handmowers League scythed ‘350′ into numerous hayfields in Vermont, Nova Scotia, and Scandinavia. 
• In Afghanistan’s first ever public climate change action, young people created a 300 square meter message on the slopes of  the Paghman Mountains that read “SAVE OUR WORLD–AFGHAN YOUTH FOR 350.”
• In Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, 1,000 schoolchildren participated in a fun run and a massive tree planting.
• At 8 pm in Barcelona, churches throughout the city rang their bells 350 times. 

     To enjoy a short video of some of the actions that took place all around the world on October 24, click on the link below. 

A Day of Action and Celebration

     How can I not be heartened by such a show of love and caring for our planet?  Yay!–April Moore

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 7:06 am and is filed under Good news for Mother Earth!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.