---
title: "Do you know what's in a name?"
date: 2026-07-29T14:18:45Z
modified: 2026-07-29T14:18:45Z
permalink: "https://350.org/350-name/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: 350 is a very important number.
wpid: 175531597
categories:
  - Hide from main blogroll
featured_image: /wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1-organizing.jpg
featured_image_alt: man displaying hand painted 350 banner
author: Ajaya Haikerwal
---

Nearly two decades after 350.org was founded, one of the most common questions we still get is “what does your name mean?” Well, it’s less complicated than you’d think.

<a style="text-decoration: none;">350.org</a> stands for 350 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is considered the safe amount to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

We need our atmosphere to contain less than 350 ppm of CO2, but it currently contains around 430 (you can learn more about science [here](https://350.org/science/) and check the daily CO2 levels [here](https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2)). **Our fight is to keep fossil fuels in the ground in order to return as fast as possible to that safe level.**

So our name, 350.org, is a compass to bring us back to safety and an homage to the science that guides us. But it is much more than a number. It’s also a reminder of where our home is, and who’s with us in this journey.

**Here’s a video we made way back in 2008, which captures this concept:**