CLIMATE CHANGE
‘350’ forum highlights threat from carbon dioxide
More than 125 people turned out at D’Youville College as part of the “350” global day of action to spread awareness about climate change and to spur action.
The rally was inspired by sobering conclusions reached in January 2008 by James Hansen, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration climate scientist, and a research team— that the earth’s atmosphere could not continue to exceed carbon dioxide levels above 350 parts per million without irreversible damage.
“It’s one of the most important issues of our time, so it really demands action and involvement,” said Emily Gibson, a University at Buffalo sophomore.
“There are a lot of issues being passed around now, especially with the change of the presidency. But without our planet, none of these issues really matter,” said Matt Candeias, a UB senior who, like Gibson, is a member of the UB Environmental Network.
The Western New York Climate Coalition co-sponsored the day’s teach-in and march with several other groups, including Catholic Charities, the Sierra Club and Network of Religious Communities. It urges less use of coal, gas and oil and reversing the destruction of rain forests, as well as a greater emphasis on energy efficiency and nonpolluting energy sources such as solar and wind.
Event organizers Nan Simpson and Sandy Chelnov noted similar rallies — coordinated through 350.org—were scheduled from Great Britain and Zimbabwe to Bermuda and Guatemala.
“It’s part of a global action, and we need to show our representatives and the people here that we’re part of the movement also,” Simpson said.
Chelnov, one of seven scheduled speakers who discussed ways people can reduce their carbon footprint, said the 350 number was a good rallying point.
“This has been a very difficult action to gain traction with, because the message is so overwhelming to us,” Chelnov said.
Greg Hintler, a UB exchange student from near Munich in Germany, said climate change awareness in the United States has grown a lot since he lived here four years ago, although not as much as in his country.
“Climate change in Germany is already so deeply embedded in society, it’s just normal, where here the awareness is being created over time more and more,” Hintler said.
He also said media coverage about green issues and global warming was more extensive in Germany than in the United States.
A poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center found 57 percent of Americans think that solid evidence indicates the world is getting warmer, a drop of 20 points in three years. The steepest decline was recorded in the past year, despite mounting scientific evidence of climate change, including melting ice caps and the highest-ever recorded temperatures in the world’s oceans.
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