The Power of a Number: 350.org's Digital Fight to Save the Climate

The Power of a Number: 350.org's Digital Fight to Save the Climate

Sarah Haselton

No campaign to combat climate change has been as successful as 350.org. Formed in 2007 at Vermont’s Middlebury College, 350.org uses a variety of emerging digital media technologies to engage Americans and those around the world in the fight. Described by its founders as more of a movement than an organization, their mission is to “dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry, and to develop people-centric solutions to the climate crisis” (350.org, 1). The program’s website offers educational tools, blogs and online news stories, which are each an integral part of efforts to reach citizens across the globe. And it’s working: 188 countries currently have active groups inspired in part by this movement.  350.org is a model for the ways that 21^st century digital media can be effectively used to connect citizens on a global scale to foster the discussion of climate change with the hope that those citizens will take action. 

A group of climate activists use lights to form the distinctive "350" logo.

http://digitaleskimo.net/blog/2009/10/23/join-us-tomorrow-for-the-350-protest

Hailed by the Boston Globe as “the new superstar of the environmental movement,” Bill McKibben was the driving force behind 350.org’s creation. The publication in 1989of his first book, The End of Nature, spread the idea of climate change to a responsive general public, but didn’t lead to the kind of political action that McKibben was hoping for. Not accustomed to the spotlight, McKibben moved forward to found Step It Up in 2007 with a group of recent Middlebury graduates concerned about climate issues. They went national, putting in motion 1,400 protests to Congress demanding a stronger climate action bill, and eventually becoming 350.org as support grew around the U.S. McKibben stands as the figurehead of the organization, at heart a writer and lover of nature forced into a position of leadership in support of a cause he holds dear.

Bill McKibben: Author, environmentalist, leader.

http://adaptationconference.org/speakers/bill-mckibben/
 

It’s obvious that McKibben’s efforts have been important to many activists, but what does “350” actually mean? This number, calculated by NASA scientists in the summer of 2007, refers to 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Over 350 ppm will lead to a planet vastly different from “the one on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted,” one that will be mostly unlivable for many existing species, including humans (Hansen, 1). The current level stands at 400 ppm, and this level is “rising 2 parts per million every year” (Moran, 1). With 350 as the target level, this number has become both the name of the organization and a symbol of the climate change movement, a logo that can be understood in many languages.

A Londoner dressed to resemble a carbon bubble, in preparation to visit the Bank of England in 2013, is used as the "0" in the 350.org logo. This shows the connection between the number "350" and a physical manifestation of what it means.

Bubble:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/with/10961027124

Logo: http://www.natooke.com/about/green-natooke/

The first Day of Action for 350.org was held on October 24, 2009, breaking a record as “‘the largest ever coordinated global rally of any kind’ in history” (Moran, 1).  In 2010, 7,400 rallies were held across 188 countries, and the number of events has grown every year since. This works as well as it does because of  “dispersed activism;” citizens in all participating countries take pictures or video footage of individuals and groups holding signs with “350” printed on them, and post them to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter (Moran, 1). In June of 2013, 500 young activists representing 135 countries met in Istanbul in what became known as Phase 1 of Global Power Shift, where they shared their stories and developed strategies that were then taken back to advocates’ home countries to develop more comprehensive climate action plans. Since Phase 1, similar Power Shift meetings have taken place around the world, from Brazil to Vietnam, from Australia to Russia, and from Cairo to Canada.

A group of Egyptians with the number "350" prominently displayed promote climate change in front of one of the Great Pyramids, while a smokestack looms behind them, depicting the air pollution that comes from factories.

Pyramid: http://grist.org/politics/2011-02-11-climate-hawks-can-draw-inspiration-from-egyptians/

Smokestack: http://slezaa.deviantart.com/art/save-water-180232260

             An incredibly important factor of Power Shift and similar campaigns is that calls for climate action are coming largely from the younger generation. Efforts by college students towards divestment, convincing colleges and governments to remove investments in the fossil fuel industry, have taken root in the past year and are having a real effect: over 300 schools in the U.S. have established divestment campaigns. As Joe Solomon says in an article for the Huffington Post, “young college students today have far more power than [they] realize” (Solomon, 1). Climate change is no longer a theoretical possibility; it is really happening. While severe tropical storms such as Irene and Sandy cannot be directly attributed to climate change, they are an example of the kind of threats we can expect to see in the future, and that citizens of some countries are already experiencing. Young people see that it is their future that is at stake, and want to take the steps necessary to make sure the worst doesn't happen. This demographic is also traditionally more plugged in than previous generations, readily latching onto new social media sites. According to a 2013 Pew Internet Project study, 90 percent of internet users between 18 and 29 use social media sites, as opposed to 78 percent of 30 to 49-year-old internet users. And 31% of social media users used those platforms to “encourage other people to take action on a political or social issue that is important to them” (Rainie, 1). 350.org is the kind of media outlet that attracts these users and has the tools to make them stay.

A young Polish woman protests the environmental degradation brought on by deforestation, reflecting the desires of a younger generation to call for climate action that will impact their futures.

Girl: https://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/10886259066/

Deforested Land: http://studentweb.cortland.edu/giambalvo73/Problemswebquestpage.html

Besides including a live Twitter feed and links to 350.org’s Twitter and Facebook pages, there are a number of interactive resources that take the website from an information hub to an activist tool. There is an interactive map that allows users to see where rallies and events are taking place down the street or across the globe, and a blog run by 350.org’s moderators that gives current updates on activist campaigns around the world. An entire section of the website is devoted to resources that any aspiring climate activist can use to raise awareness in their community or even start their own group. Even for less media-savvy users, the links are easy to follow and understand, and there is a balance between support from 350.org and encouragement that inspires users to blaze their own trails. The organization’s Flickr site gives a face to the website, showing activists engaged at events around the world and the innovative ways they are calling for climate action. As May Boeve, the executive director of 350.org said in an interview for Grist.org, “technology has been central to what we think about the possibility of our work from the beginning” (Smith, 1).

  

May Boeve, 350.org's executive director, poses with some of the important technological advances that have made her organization successful.

May: http://ensia.com/interviews/may-boeve-changing-climate-change/

Facebook "Like": http://techmarketingbuffalo.com/category/logo-2/page/2/

Twitter Logo: http://stuffpoint.com/twitter/image/164165/new-twitter-logo-picture/

These tools were all on hand at the recent Keystone XL pipeline protests in Washington, D.C. The pipeline, which would carry oil from Alberta, Canada tar sands fields to oil refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, needs final approval by President Obama before it can be completed. It has faced vehement opposition by environmentalists and other critics who feel its construction will bring no long-term benefits for the U.S. On March 2, 300 activists chained themselves to the White House fence, while others lay on tarps covered in black paint representing an oil spill, to symbolize the negative effects the tar sands oil can and will have on both humans and the environment. Around 400 protesters, the majority of whom were students, were arrested, representing “the largest act of youth civil disobedience at the White House in a generation” (Henn, 1).  They made use of Twitter, Flickr and Facebook, using hashtag #xldissent to share their preparation and execution of the protest, reflecting only a chapter in this ongoing saga.

Hundreds of activists gathered outside the White House on March 2, 2014, to protest the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Alberta oil fields. If developed, this oil would have devastating effects on the environment.

White House: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/02/3350081/photos-keystone-protest-arrests/

Oil Spill:  http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2011/04/15/194702.htm

With the recent Keystone XL protests, it is obvious that the issue of climate change isn’t going to disappear any time soon. 350.org is going to be a valuable resource and forum for discussion as long as climate change is still a viable and critical topic. And it is important that these discussions do continue. The world M.T. Anderson depicts in his novel FEED shows signs of severe environmental degradation that should be warnings to our civilization. At one point Titus’ father says “‘The forest is gone… knocked down to make an air factory’” (Anderson, 125). The natural environment is no longer capable of performing its basic functions, like making oxygen. The idea of consumption in FEED is also an issue: our thirst for cheap consumer products manufactured at the expense of the earth’s natural resources rapidly degrades the environment. Our society must recognize these kinds of trends and be willing to find alternative solutions, or our world may very well look like the one that Titus inhabits. 350.org is playing a vital role in this process, but its greatest importance is the work of those who are being active global citizens. Unless we continue to discuss pressing issues like climate change, any control we may have over our futures may soon slip away.

 

A family dealing with rising sea levels that have flooded their home. Millions like them will potentially be displaced as the atmosphere climbs beyond 400 ppm and arctic ice continues to melt.

http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/blog/2011/12/durban-failed-to-deliver

Link to website: file://vfs2.mikenet.smcvt.edu/home2$/Student/shaselton/Dreamweaver/index.html

Works Cited: 

Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print.

"Fossil Free." Fossil Free. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. <http://gofossilfree.org/campaigns/>.

"Global Power Shift." Global Power Shift. Global Power Shift, 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. <http://globalpowershift.org/>.

Hansen, Jamie. "Climate Chat: A Green Life Interview with Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org - The Green Life." 'The Green Life' Sierra Club, 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/08/interview-with-bill-mckibben-founder-of-350org.html>.

Henn, Jamie. "Hundreds of Students Arrested at White House Protesting Keystone XL." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-henn/keystone-xl-protest_b_4886208.html>.

Moran, Barbara. "The Man Who Crushed the Keystone XL Pipeline." BostonGlobe.com. The Boston Globe, 22 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/01/22/bill-mckibben-man-who-crushed-keystone-pipeline/HkXTD01Z6bXLvibbf8piGK/story.html>.

Rainie, Lee, Aaron Smith, Kay L. Schlozman, Henry Brady, and Sidney Verba. "Social Media and Political Engagement." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Pew Research Internet Project, 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/10/19/social-media-and-political-engagement/>.

Smith, Heather. "How 350.org Went from "strange Kid" to Head of the Green Class." Grist. Grist.org, 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-350-org-went-from-strange-kid-to-head-of-the-green-class/>.

"Social Networking Fact Sheet." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Pew Research Internet Project, 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/>.

Solomon, Joe. "Big Hopes for the Student Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement in 2014." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-solomon/big-hopes-for-the-student_b_4519497.html>.

Strasser, Annie-Rose. "PHOTOS: Hundreds Arrested In Protest Of Keystone XL Pipeline."ThinkProgress RSS. Climate Progress, 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/02/3350081/photos-keystone-protest-arrest>.

350.org. Flickr. Yahoo!, 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/>.

"350.org." 350.org. 350.org, 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://350.org/about/what-we-do/>.