Campaign calls for action to fight climate change

Shoppers at Mirdif City Centre witnessed a walkathon for climate change yesterday as part of a global event called the Moving Planet campaign, organised in partnership with 350.org. Led by a band, around 100 people paraded in the mall handing out leaflets on the simple day-to-day changes one can make to combat climate change. The drive called for a worldwide day of action for solutions to climate change with hundreds of people across the globe moving with fossil fuel-free modes of transport. Participants can pledge to move the planet beyond fossil fuels by logging on to www.350.org. According to the organisation, scientists have pegged the safe level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere at 350 parts per million. However, at the moment there is 392ppm (parts per million) of CO2 in the air globally. Unless worldwide efforts are made to quickly return to below 350 ppm this century, there is a risk a tipping point will be reached and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt will occur. The grassroots organisation is run by thousands of volunteers in 188 countries. Last year the event was celebrated in Al Qasbah in Sharjah. Saturday, a live creation of a human mural with people forming the number 350, representing the target parts per million that must be reached.