A Day for Climate Change

As policymakers gear up for December’s international climate talks in Copenhagen, climate change activists have scheduled more than 45,000 events in 173 countries today. The massive outpouring is meant to encourage policymakers to cut carbon concentration levels from approximately 380 to 350 parts per million. The series of events, spearheaded by the organization 350.org, include creative demonstrations: Chinese university students will infiltrate highly trafficked shopping areas wearing scuba gear, children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will participate in a race through the city’s main square, and Washington D.C. is holding a free go-go concert in Malcolm Park. 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben says, "We're under no illusions that we will change the politics overnight. But the most widespread political event in the planet's history is a sign that in our new electronically-wired age, we can make disparate actions count, even across the enormous divides of wealth and poverty."