Just Imagine a Zero! Great day for a bike ride (Raven Rock Road, Rosemont, NJ).
Today was 10/10/10, a day that 350.org has targeted to organize and raise awareness about the global warming crisis. Over 7400 events in 188 countries were planned.
350.org is named for 350 parts per million (ppm), the science based target atmospheric CO2 concentration required to avoid devastating global warming impacts.
350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.
Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 392ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to below 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt.
There are three numbers you need to really understand global warming, 275, 392, and 350.
For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Parts per million is simply a way of measuring the concentration of different gases, and means the ratio of the number of carbon dioxide molecules to all of the molecules in the atmosphere. 275 ppm CO2 is a useful amount—without some CO2 and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere, our planet would be too cold for humans to inhabit
It was such a beautiful day, so I took a zero carbon bike ride and hike up to Bowman’s Hill Tower (through Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve – see photo’s here).
View of Delaware River and Valley from Bowman's Tower, looking north. Lambertville bridge in forground.