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There were more than 5200 events celebrating one number: 350 |
If someone has been living in a cave for the past year or year and a half and only came out on October 24, he’d probably think that the world was taken over by a number. In more than 180 countries around the world, there were more than 5200 events celebrating one number: 350.
350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide is the limit that most scientists agree we need to maintain if we want life on our lovely blue planet to continue as it is. Above that, and we are handing an Earth vastly different from what we have to our children due to climate change. And it is not a pretty sight at all.
That is why thousands of activists around the world got together to raise awareness about the importance of this number. They created the biggest environmental movement in history.
Having been actively raising awareness about climate change for most of my working life, the 350 campaign was a dream come true. It was my chance to be part of something that will have far reaching effects for our climate.
But the issue is far more than just a day, or a campaign, or a number. It is an issue of lifestyle change. While politicians debate and lie their way through climate change, we each have a responsibility at home.
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For me climate change is a way of life. It seeps into every aspect of my day. When I moved into my new flat, one of the first things I did was changing all the light bulbs into energy-saving ones. Living the campaign has become a habit of mine, all the way from always carpooling to work to installing a low pressure shower in my bathroom.
Fighting climate change has become, for me, an issue of belief. And that is where it all comes down to. In Egypt, people hardly consider the environment. They think caring for it is a privilege they cannot afford. The truth is, it is a responsibility that we all carry. Climate change will make life harder on the poor way before it does so on the rich.
The problem is that many people do not practice what they preach. That, in its simplest form, is hypocrisy. If you don’t live your message, people will see right through it and it will have nil effect.
I learned that when I first started writing about climate change. I would talk about the things that need to be done, the targets governments must set, etc. Then I started thinking what we, as humans, can do while the politicians drag their feet coming up with a climate agreement. From then on, I decided I will change my life and be one person living a completely normal life that takes into account the environment. Incidentally, I realized that if you do that, you end up saving a ton of money by the way!
One person changing their lifestyle won’t have much of an effect. That’s the truth. Actually, it will not affect the amount of carbon dioxide in the air at all. However, if the message propagates through our actions, then you are creating a movement. If you inspire someone to be like you, then you have doubled the members of your campaign.
Never undermine the strength of humans. The 350 campaign is the brainchild of one man, Bill McKibben. He believed in the message, lived it, and on October 24, had hundreds of millions living it along with him.
Will we manage to reduce carbon emissions in time? Maybe. Will our children inherit a world very unlike ours? Probably.
But as I sit back and tell my daughter stories of what the world used to be, I will proudly tell her I fought to the end hoping not to let her down.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi.
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