350 Aotearoa presents: the Bill McKibben Tour
Coming straight from the coalface of international climate activism and negotiations, author and activist Bill McKibben is visiting Aotearoa for a whirlwind tour - catch him while you can!
McKibben’s first book The End of Nature proved hugely influential, putting climate change firmly at the top of the agenda for world leaders like Al Gore. More recently, McKibben founded 350.org. This rapidly growing global movement is working to raise awareness about, and action on, climate change issues. In only two years 350 has spread across the globe through actions in over 50 countries – from India, Belize, Chile, Antarctica, France, South Korea, Cameroon, Philippines, Lebanon and Canada to right here in Aotearoa. The movement has just entered a new phase, preparing for massive actions around the world on October 24th 2009 in the lead up to what many have called the most important international negotiations ever - the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. Climate science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million (ppmv), we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. The current global concentration of carbon dioxide is 387ppmv and rising at about 2ppmv each year.
What will it take to turn it around? During his New Zealand visit, McKibben will be spreading the word about what it means to genuinely deal with climate change. We have to go beyond being more efficient or carbon neutral, because a target of 350ppmv means that we need to start absorbing more carbon than we release. McKibben will share his take on how the global 350 movement, and worldwide action of October 24th, could help us move towards this future.
There is the opportunity for interested individuals to meet Bill at a late morning tea (at a café near the Hamilton Famers’ Market!) on Sunday 3rd May. This informal gathering would be a chance to have a chat about the international climate situation, and the ways that Hamilton’s environmental groups could get involved in the global day of action on October 24th. If you would like to attend such an event, please RSVP to Katherine at the Hamilton Environment Centre by this Friday 3rd April, so that alternative arrangements can be made in Raglan if there is no interest in Hamilton.
You can be wowed by Bill McKibben’s work on his website: www.billmckibben.com. For more information on the 350 movement, visit the global website: www.350.org, and for an overview of 350 Aotearoa, the local website: www.350.org.nz.
