A day at the beach ... to change the world
Home » Blog » Sarah Heeringa » A day at the beach ... to change the worldTake one day out of your life and use it to help stop the climate crisis. Come to Bethells Beach at 11am on Sunday 4 October.
Photo by Piotzurek
We are calling for at least 350 people to form the number 350 on the black sand of Bethells Beach (Te Henga). We’d like you and your friends to take part. Add your voice to the many thousands around the world who are taking part in events leading up to 24 October―the International Day of Climate Change Action.
If you are able to join us, please note the following points.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
- Wear (or bring with you) a white shirt/t-shirt (so in the photograph we show up against the black sand).
- Pack a picnic. The cafe is open in fine weather but will be crowded.
- Dogs―leave at home please, as cars are being parked on private land
GETTING THERE
- The Bethells/Te Henga turnoff is at the Swanson end of the Scenic Drive, if you are coming from Auckland. Plan to arrive at 11am.
- In the spirit of reducing your carbon footprint, please share transport where possible.
View Bethells Beach in a larger map
PARKING
- Once you arrive at Bethells, follow the 350 CAR PARKING signs. Park your car then follow the arrows to the meeting place at the cafe area/entrance to the beach.
THE EVENT
- At 11.30 am, after some preliminary speeches and music, we will walk to the beach (10 mins) where you will be guided into position for the photograph.
- The whole event should be finished early afternoon. Afterwards you may like to take time out on beautiful Bethells Beach.
- This event will be held rain or shine.
To find out more about the global campaign, go to www.350.org and www.350.org.nz.
350.org BACKGROUNDer
350.org is a global citizen movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis. The Bethells Beach event will provide publicity for the global 350 goal of establishing meaningful targets for cuts in carbon emissions. Images from our event will be sent around the world on social networking websites. Images and information about the need to cut emissions will go to our political leaders.
350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, according to the NASA team led by James Hansen, is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The level is currently at 389 ppm and going up by 2ppm per year.
The Bethells Beach event has been initiated by Auckland Quakers with support from the Bethells Valley community as a build-up and promotional event. It is one of many being held in New Zealand and countries around the world; other events are coinciding with the International Day of Action on 24 October. Over 1,500 events have already been registered in 110 countries. These are all part of the 350.org campaign to draw the attention of world leaders to public opinion and expectations before they attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December this year.
World leaders are coming together at the Copenhagen conference with the aim of reaching agreement on a new climate treaty. This will replace the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. Here is a quote from the Conference website.
The conference in Copenhagen may not yield a new global climate treaty with every minor detail in place. But hopefully it will close with agreements on four political essentials, thereby creating a clarity the world – not least the financially struck business world – needs.
The four political essentials are:
1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?
2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?
3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?
4. How is that money going to be managed?”
