The wrong direction
Yesterday you could read the following in many newspapers around the world. The advertisement was initiated by the Tällberg Foundation in Sweden and had over 170 signatories, including leading environment scientists. I think these scientists gives the most reason to listen to the message.
I agree with them – the world is heading the wrong direction!
Barack Obama says he want to decrease the emissions of CO2 by 80 % by year 2050, compared with the level of 1990, while John McCain wants to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases by 60 % during the same period. But, it isn’t what you say that counts, its what you do.
Here is the advertisment quoted.

“We’ve been there: atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide (CO2) of 350 parts per million (ppm).
On this day twenty years ago, when Dr. James Hansen of
NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies warned the US
Congress of global warming forced by greenhouse gases
emitted through human activities, CO2 stood at 350 ppm.
That was then. Today it is up to 385 ppm. Sixteen years after
the UN Convention on Climate Change was agreed upon to
stabilize greenhouse gases at a level preventing dangerous
human interference with the climate system, global carbon
emissions are still increasing – more rapidly than ever. We
are well on our way to 450 ppm and beyond.
What does the best science tell us?
Until recently, scientific consensus set the safe zone to avoid
the worst effects of climate change at 450 ppm. But today
the latest science tells us the danger zone may already
begin at 350 ppm. Catastrophic effects cannot be ruled out if
levels above 350 ppm are maintained for a long time.
What does this mean?
We’ve gone too far – in a dangerous direction. Now we know
enough. To act now. To foresee and forestall any risk of
massive and irreversible damage to the earth and all its
inhabitants for generations to come, we must reduce
atmospheric CO2 to levels below 350 ppm. Scientific insights
bring political responsibilities. We need leadership that
respects the planetary boundaries of life.
We, the signatories of this message from all continents, call
upon all nations in the ongoing climate negotiations to adopt
350 as the target to be reached peacefully and deliberately,
with all possible speed.
350 is one of our planet’s boundary conditions. It should not
have been transgressed. We must go back for a future:
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