Targeting device

The steps of the Sydney Opera House swam with blue on Saturday, as climate change activists spelled out a giant ‘350’.

The 350.org event was one of thousands around the world promoting an atmospheric carbon dioxide target of 350 parts per million (ppm).

According to 350.org Australia CEO Blair Palese, the day was about letting people around the world have a voice on climate change.

“I think most people feel pretty disenfranchised from things like Copenhagen Climate Change talks, but they feel deeply concerned about climate change and they feel that people aren’t hearing them,” she said.

The figure of 350 ppm has been recommended as a safe level for carbon dioxide by prominent climate change scientist Dr James Hansen of NASA, but the current level of CO2 is above 385 ppm and rising. Dr Hansen’s 2008 paper on the topic said: “If the present overshoot of this target CO2 is not brief, there is a possibility of seeding irreversible catastrophic effects…An initial 350 ppm CO2 target may be achievable by phasing out coal use except where CO2 is captured and adopting agricultural and forestry practices that sequester carbon.”

Climate change scientist Professor Ann Henderson-Sellers addressed the crowd and said with the evidence for climate change now on the table, it was now a matter for people’s consciences. “There is no way that the huge and frequent jumps we see in the climate could occur in an unchanging system,” she said.

The human 350 was choreographed by film-maker and ‘Happy Feet’ writer John Collee, who herded a crowd dressed in blue and armed with large blue umbrellas. “Australia’s been so absent from the whole climate movement, and we really need to be leading rather than following,” said Mr Collee.

“The problem with the way the Government’s been selling this particular story to the nation is that they’ve been pretending that we can actually all carry on with business as usual and not accept any changes to our life. That’s complete nonsense.”

The event involved performances by Felix Riebl of The Cat Empire, reggae/roots band The Beautiful Girls, and the choir, Café at the Gate of Salvation. Riebl is also one of Al Gore’s ‘Climate Messengers’ and will travel to the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen in December to push for an agreement between world leaders. “Climate change is something that goes beyond politics and goes beyond prejudices,” he said.

“Basically it’s something which goes straight to our rational [as] to whether we’re going to make a reasonable future for our kids or not…at some point everybody can make a decision for themselves to change their lives.”

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore will also be in Copenhagen for the conference, attending a meeting of city leaders from around the world. “City leaders understand that a key to national leaders being able to reach their targets – and we want them to commit to responsible and ambitious targets – is to work with cities,” she said. “Cities, whilst they only cover two per cent of the world’s surface, are responsible for 80 per cent of emissions.”

The Jackson family from Mosman was part of the crowd spelling out the 350. The family of four grow their own vegetables and have sold their second car. “We were really glad to be part of it,” said mother of two, Tina.

“We want to send a strong message to our government and all the governments around the world that we want them to set the target for 350.”

by Aaron Cook