350 Updates

Holyrood 350 Campaign in Scotland, UK

One of the most gratifying moments in the advocacy world must be the point after you have sent an idea out into the world, putting yourself and your ideas out on a limb, when you find that others are having the same idea and acting of their own accord in tandem with you. So much the more so in global projects like 350.org, because to act upon the same values the idea must transcend cultural barriers that normally separate us from one another.

It was last Friday when the rumors I was hearing of a 350ppm campaign in the UK were solidified, and personified, too, with Justin Kenrick and John Riley emailing me at 350.org.  Holyrood 350, a Scotland-based climate advocacy project, has launched in fine style...

 

Vision for the Future

This piece, written by 350 messenger, Deepa Gupta, was originally posted on Whatwiththeclimate.org, India's new youth climate blog, on July 25.  This is what real leadership looks like, and it will be exciting to witness how such vision will soon manifest as youth leaders from across India meet for their first Indian Youth Climate Summit in Hyderabad this week...

Vision of young people is simple – we want to enjoy a stable climate that our parents grandparents have enjoyed, one without hundreds and thousands of refugees, resource scarcity, and natural disasters.

The IPCC has stated that to give us a 50% chance of preventing two degrees warming we will require global emissions to be stabilized at 450ppm. Now, even venture capitalists would agree that 50% chance of return isn’t a worthwhile investment. Imagine the loss of this investment resulting in the destruction of our planet. My vision for the long term is that India makes to the 350ppm target, which gives us a strong chance at preventing runaway climate change. Clean technology will need a very strong presence to make this vision reality.

My vision of the next 12 months, which will progress beyond that, is somewhat Gandhi-an.

 

Forestry in the UN Climate Negotiations: a Primer

At last year's UN Climate Change conference in Bali, Indonesia, forestry and land use emerged as one of the major areas highlighted in the negotiating process and in advocacy efforts. With land use change accounting for an estimated 20% of carbon emissions worldwide, its no wonder why this part of the process is so crucial and has garnered so much attention from activists, the media, and negotiators. Yet with its many acronyms (LULUCF, REDD, etc...) and opaque language, it's also no wonder why it's difficult to understand what's really being talked about. Luckily our friends at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) have helped to break it down a little. Read on for a lesson in LULUCF, or "Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry", which refers to the mechanism for accounting for carbon emissions from land use change in Annex 1, i.e. industrialized, countries.