Right now in Bangkok, a monumental conference is underway, involving delegates from all over the world who have come to discuss nothing less than the future survival of our planet. Climate change is the focus and negotiations have begun on the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol which will be drafted in Copenhagen next month. It is a crucial moment in our planet’s history because we have already pushed the limits of our ecosystem’s capacity to maintain itself and are bringing it to the brink of being inhospitable. There is no question that without checking our consumption and abuse, the atmosphere will eventually deny us our basic life necessities. Certainly, we will survive in the short-term and there are many powerful lobbies that consider immediate profit the only factor of any importance, but without a long-term view, we are doomed. It is a simple concept that becomes infinitely complex when corporate self-interest controls the dialogue and economic growth supersedes the health and well-being of our one and only home.
Fortunately, I have some amazing friends who are working to steer the conversation in the right direction. Ben Jervey, contributor to GOOD Magazine and author of The Big Green Apple, is in Bangkok as a reporter, following the US representatives and giving the world an earpiece to the discussion. He has been blogging about the negotiations here, and while the US has been playing spoiler and threatening to once again defy any agreement (we were too good for Kyoto, too), their position can only improve. Kevin Buckland is there as artist-in-residence for 350.org creating art and organizing social capital for the cause. 350.org is an organization devoted to setting a cap on total CO2 level at 350 parts per million in the atmosphere, which many scientists have agreed is the maximum that our planet can withstand without causing major climate change. Currently we stand at 385 and most estimates see that number growing rapidly and spiraling out of control if we don’t set aggressive goals for its reduction. Although I am still in Brooklyn, I recently produced a song for the campaign:
350 parts per million carbon dioxide in the air.mp3
Now is the time to take charge and make a difference. If we allow this opportunity to slip away and Copenhagen bows to the will of economic interests, we will be setting ourselves up for severe consequences. The stakes are high and the results could be calamitous, but with enough support, we have the potential to change our approach before it’s too late.