Or as my friend down under, Andrew Bolt, calls it: “Day of apathy”
Sydney yesterday demonstrated the depth of international passion about global warming through several highly pictorial stunts:
It was part of a series of events across Sydney yesterday by the environment movement 350.org. Australia was the first of 179 countries to take part in 4500 events worldwide as part of the International Day of Climate Action.
Counting the people in the picture, though, I’d say that this is not a global day of action, but global day of apathy. Or, let’s hope, a global day of mounting scepticism.
Left: People outside the Opera House take a stand on climate change yesterday. Top: Protesters at Manly and bottom, Marton Hidas at the Opera House. Photo: Adam Hollingworth, Janie Barrett
And that’s even without discounting for the tourists and the unfortunate children who were simply dragged there by parents warning them they may not have a future:
Among those on the Opera House steps showing their support was Rae Lawrence from Croydon, who brought her sons, Cameron, 6, and Nicholas, 8. ‘’We care about the future and I want them to have one to live in,’’ she said.
UPDATE
Apologies. From Greenpeace, this proof that the crowds in Sydney may have been even bigger than I sneeringly suggest:
UPDATE 2
The global day of apathy rolls on in Rome:
And in Kiev:
And Dunedin, just the one:
In Copenhagen, where the world’s leaders will meet in December to discuss slashing emissions – or not:
And Shanghai, city of 17 million, in a country that is now the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases:
But you know it’s a snoozer, media-wise, when “balloon boy”, his mom, and the death of Soupy Sales gets above the fold on Google News and “350” doesn’t:
UPDATE: Maybe I jinxed it, maybe it just took awhile for enough “critical mass” of stories to accumulate. Google has now elevated 350 day to top story status, even though it has far less the number of linked stories as the other top entries. An editorial decision, most likely.
Had I not seen Bolt’s column on it, I wouldn’t even have remembered to mention it myself. What did you do for “350 day”?
UPDATE 10/25: Bill McKIbben can’t do simple math.From 350.org website…seems to me the other two stories have a lot more new coverage. Lets see:
350 event: 322 news stories,
Church janitor: 854 news stories
Obama-Iran: 5255 news stories
So how does he get “for a little while, we’re the most talked about news story on the planet”?
As of this writing, they’ve only managed 661 news stories and have fallen off the Google above the fold section.
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Never heard of this. [snip] is 350 supposed to signify?
And who says apathy can’t be a good thing?
When we put our minds to something, we can achieve all kinds of absurdities. Imagine what would happen if we put our minds and money to something useful?
Doesn’t it seem that the most inane, pretentious activities receive the most public support? Is it because you can more easily dupe a gullible public? Is it because you can’t profiteer from things of substance?
I’m convinced that this is a form of self sabotage.
I have to remind myself again and again that this is the 21st C.
I wonder if the 400.org movement is picking up any speed.
Well, the…errrmm..weather in Sydney is…errmmm…cold. It’s even colder today, over cast and wet. Sydney siders don’t do cold and wet.
So far here in Colorado it is a non-event as far as the media is concerned. I can find only a single mention of it in a quick scan of the local media sites. Apparently 6 local churches rang their bells 350 times today.
Larry
Pull the covers up and go back to sleep?
What is that?. It seems something new to me…perhaps it is because I´ve been so apathetic (passion-less) about global warming. Lastly for me Goric message has been boresome, as boresome as the prophet himself.
Maybe I’ll start the “999 or Bust” movement… anyone have 999orbustdotcom?
What is the magic behind 350 ppm? What “peer reviewed” study “proves” that it is the maximum (or optimum?) CO2 concentration? Real greenhouses regularly pump up the nasty stuff to 800 ppmv or more, and see considerable improvement in plant growth. Ice cores, if they have any credibility, show times in the past with much higher concentrations, and the earth didn’t melt.
And how much CO2 did those six churches generate by ringing their bells?
Pet rocks made more sense.
alternative title?
The 350 demo in Andrew Bolt’s hometown of Melbourne Australia didn’t impress either. It was held in the city in an outdoor cafe at the side of a library building. There was a rock band – the size of the small crowd varied with the music.
Must have been at least a hundred persons there – when the rock band was playing.
Didn’t even see a police presence.
I see that “350” means “the dangerous 350 ppm” of CO2 concentration. But it crossed the line long ago, in 1987 or 1988 IIRC. They don’t know this ringing fact?
Practically no one of the 128 million Japanese is aware of such an event………
“What did you do for “350 day”?
Waxed my 350Z (18mpg city).
I planted 100 bulbs-1/3 (nearly ) of the way!
May snow next week however…
A bottle of wine has a volume of 750 ml. If one takes half of that you have 375 ml, a number closer to the alleged current CO2 concentration. This amounts to 2 nice sized glasses of wine (just over 6 oz. each). In an attempt to counter the activities of “350-day” I think I will open a bottle of wine and drink exactly half of it, 375 ml. Tomorrow I will drink the rest of it. Please join me in this protest. For everyone that does, thank you. I’m positive we will be most pleased with the result and our numbers will exceed those shown in the accompanying photos.
Cheers, John
I threw out a perfectly good 20 year old regfrig to make room for a same size one in stainless. Is that cool or what ?
Meant refrig not regfrig, must have been the maitai talking.
I had a day in the bars and drank 12 bottles of beer – 350cc in fact. Carbonated beer, of course.
John F
Why stop at 375ml. Find someone to share the other half with. Stale wine doesn’t taste half as good.
Are we OT?????
Tokyoboy: The 350 is by 2100 (I think).
This is what they get for their trouble and it sucks:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/10/21/terence-corcoran-climatism-and-the-new-green-industrial-state.aspx#ixzz0UspBmlRn
I like the human WAKE UP sign. Apparently, that’s a call to everyone too lazy to get out of bed for this laughable event.
The people who showed up need to wake up and smell the deep solar minimum.
Yesterday, I watched a very large pile of trees set on fire and burn – huge flames – warming the cockles of my heart. Mans triumph over Nature.