So what does it take to get Senators to listen up? Youth of course!
On Saturday October 24th, students from all around the Midwest traveled to Fargo, North Dakota for the Northern Plains Powershift youth summit. Speakers such as Dennis Walker, the Fargo Mayor, Arjun Makhijani, Dr. George Seielstad, and Patrick Spears came to speak to an array of youth and concerned community members. The event opened up with four panelist speakers, held breakout sessions to educate youth on specific climate issues, and taught the community how to participate in a non-violent direct action.
Around noon on Saturday, students the summit participated in an epic march the streets of historic downtown Fargo. The march ended with a rally in hopes that Fargo will wake up to these current climate issues. This action was one of thousands cropping up across the world on a day known as the 350 Day of Action. Now does 350 exactly mean?
Well 350 is a number. A number that scientists deem to be the safe level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Our current society has pushed this number to 390 which is contributing to the rising temperatures, more frequent environmental disasters, and a recent outbreak of health issues.
To tackle climate change we need to move quickly, and we need to act in unison—and 2009 will be an absolutely crucial year. This December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions. The problem is, the treaty currently on the table doesn't meet the severity of the climate crisis—it doesn't pass the 350 test.
So on October 24th, ND citizens met to rally our senators for change. My hope is that this movement will continue to spread.
