"Civilization is what grows up in the margins of leisure and security provided by a workable relationship with the natural world. That margin won't exist, at least not for long, as long as we remain on the wrong side of 350. That's the limit we face." - Bill McKibben

Bianca Jagger: “Today we stand at a crossroads in history...”

Most climate scientists have now sounded urgent alarms, warning us about the imminent threat of climate change, and the impending tipping point. David Wasdell, Director of The Meridian Programme, in a book he co-authored called Planet Earth, We Have A Problem, says:

“If we go beyond the point where human intervention can no longer stabilise the system, then we precipitate unstoppable runaway climate change. That will set in motion a major extinction event comparable to the five other extinction crises that the earth has previously experienced.”

In an article called “A Last Chance for Civilisation”, Bill McKibben has introduced what he calls “the most important number on Earth”: 350. He is referring to parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air. Quoting foremost climatologist James Hansen of NASA, he explains that we must rapidly lower the level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere “if we wish to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed”. If we do not make 350 the most important number on Earth, future generations – if they survive – will have no option but to devote time, resources and energy to managing the consequences of their ancestors’ short-sightedness, and to developing ways of coping with life on a vastly overheated planet.

James Hansen cites six irreversible tipping points. Among them are massive sea level rise and huge changes in rainfall patterns. If we do not return to 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere quickly, from our current (and rising) level of 385ppm, we will pass these tipping points very soon. According to Hansen, the first of them, the melting of the polar ice caps, may already be behind us.

Given the scale of the impending disaster, we have no choice but to embark upon a global renewable energy revolution, by replacing our carbon-driven economy with a renewable energy economy, since renewable energies like solar power are the only non-finite and non-destructive energy sources we have. The challenge we are facing now is how to switch to a more secure, lower-carbon energy system that does not undermine economic and social development, and addresses the threats of climate change and global inequality.

The arguments that renewable energy does not provide sufficient or affordable alternatives to traditional energy sources have been exposed as flawed and false. Furthermore, the cost of conventional energies will continue to rise as the sources dry up. But renewable energy costs will generally go down, as they consist almost exclusively of technology costs.

Countries in the Global South enjoy little or no energy security. But a renewable energy revolution will have crucial economic and social benefits for the poorest countries in the world. Home-grown renewable sources provide developing countries with the means by which to insulate themselves against rising energy prices elsewhere in the world. And with a decentralised renewable network, there would be no need for expensive grid solutions.

A crucial instrument for educating governments and industry about renewable energy sources will be the International Renewable Energy Agency, or IRENA. In April of this year, I delivered a keynote speech at the invitation of the German government to officials from 70 countries, urging them to support this crucial new agency. The creation of IRENA is thanks to twenty years of tireless advocacy from “solar champion” Hermann Scheer, President of EUROSOLAR, General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy and member of the German Bundestag.

Hermann Scheer, President of EUROSOLAR, is behind the campaign to reach 350

We have an obligation to future generations to protect our planet. Embarking upon a renewable energy revolution is an economic, environmental and moral imperative. The establishment and development of IRENA, and the widespread adoption of renewables, are both necessary and urgent if we are to return to 350, and thereby avoid global climate disaster. I urge you to visit 350.org and give your support to this vital initiative. Let us raise our voices in unison, to make 350 the most important number on earth.

The World Future Council
Bianca Jagger is Chair of the World Future Council. For more information about the WFC, you can visit their website.