We did it!
We’ve all been working hard to urge the next U.S. President to re-enage the United States with the rest of the world. 50,000 of you have sent invitations urging the President-elect to show that after eight years of inaction, we are ready to work with other countries to stop climate change.
Today, in an address delivered at the Governor’s Climate Summit, President-elect Obama made the following statement:
“Let me also say a special word to the delegates from around the world who will gather in Poland next month: your work is vital to the planet. While I won’t be President at the time of your meeting and while the United States has only one President at a time, I’ve asked Members of Congress who are attending the conference as observers to report back to me on what they learn there.”
Here’s what Bill McKibben had to say in response:
“After sending President-elect Obama nearly 50,000 invitations to join the world in the fight against climate change, we’re excited to see that he’s done just that. With his video address this morning, he re-engaged the United States in the international climate process that we’ve shamefully ignored for the last eight years.
Obama is the first American president who seems really willing to engage reality on this front, and reality comes with a number now: 350, the safe upper limit for C02 in the atmosphere in parts per million. Now that he’s re-committed the U.S. to the international process, we hope President-elect Obama will help steer it towards this important 350 target.
It’s true that we wanted Obama to go to Poland in person, but it’s nice that he’s pioneering low-carbon ways to communicate with the rest of the world. A President who’s worried about his carbon footprint is something we support.”
And similarly, while we might not all be able to be in Poland this December either, we are most definitely sending the 350 message from around the world. Check out some of the latest 350 actions over the last few weeks:
India:
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Costa Rica:
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There will be a number of people respresenting 350 at the UN climate talks in Poland, and they’ll be sure to deliver all the great photos and stories of the movement we’re building. It’s time to hold all our governments accountable to take the bold actions we need to get back below 350.