December 2009 COP

In December of 2009, this meeting will be in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, delegates, non-governmental organizations, and businesses from every nation will meet to finalize a new global climate change agreement.

It is crucial that decision-makers at this meeting understand and are held accountable to crafting policy that is informed by the most recent science.

Reaching 350

Just over a year old, 350 is a relatively new target being discussed in the scientific community, compared to 450ppm or 2 degrees Celsius that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change supports. Currently many policy-makers, institutions, and NGOs are still supporting targets that are out of date and greatly increase the risk of catastrophic climatic changes.

Yet at the last UN climate negotiations in Poland at the end of 2008, the 350 target began to attract more endorsers as new scientific reports and evidence of early impacts made it clear that we are already above the safe level for CO₂. In his annual speech, Nobel laureate Al Gore told delegates to the most recent climate negotiating session that we must now "toughen our goal" to 350ppm.

Vulnerable nations

At the same meetings, 40 of the most vulnerable nations who will feel the impacts of climate change first and worst, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s), included in their policy statements the need to adopt a much stronger target than those currently being debated, and to support a 350ppm target. Said Leon Charles, chair AOSIS, "Two degrees C is really not a safe level for small island states. For many of them it would be like a death sentence in the long run." It's no small task, but for people and nations everywhere, we need to make sure all of the world's decision makers pay attention to the most recent science that is telling us 350 is the right target to aim for that can ensure an equitable future safe from climate catastrophe.

Telling the world

With your help, we can spread this important piece of information to our fellow citizens, communities, countries, and the world. For more in-depth information on climate science, policy, and solutions, please see our list of recommended resources.