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Save the tears and hand wringing – the UN Climate Talks at Copenhagen were always going to result in a half filled cup for climate change. The leaders of major powers, like Angela Merkle of Germany, signaled well before they’d jump into bed with the damage that a 2 degree increase in temperature would bring – in the name of economic reality. The real question was, in amongst all the diplomatic squabbling would the leaders of the world be able to agree on even this.

Unlikely until Obama and the leaders of the countries with carbon emission clout, including India, China and Brazil found a way to at least agree to the half-half filled cup of a 2 degree change, in the form of a 3 page document document promising $30 billion in emergency climate aid to poor nations in the next three years and a goal of eventually channeling $100 billion a year by 2020 to developing countries.

Of course it was a prime time for those politicians from Bolivia, Cuba, Sudan and Venezuela, whose leaders suffer from megolamania fever and chips on their shoulders for anything American, to snatch the moral high ground and give the departing Obama a good slug in the back of the head.

And the ultimate projection from Sudan’s Lumumba Stanislas Dia-ping of Sudan, chairing the Group of 77 and China bloc of 130 poor nations: “It is asking Africa to sign a suicide pact, an incineration pact in order to maintain the economic dependence of a few countries,” .

“It’s a solution based on values that funneled six million people in Europe into furnaces.” Not bad for a government who’s care for it’s citizen’s means that the word Darfur is now synonymous with genocide. And down right understandable given how livid they are that the International Criminal Court indicted Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in March this year for crimes against humanity.

One of the most frightening things is that politicians get to play out all the shadows and undeveloped emotional parts of their psyches in a psycho-drama of global proportions. And then some poor sod – or in this case millions of sods – and that could be you and me – get to wear the fall out. Or the well intentioned climate change prevention efforts of the UN get shot down in the psycho-babble cross fire.

It’s as wise to abandon climate change to the psycho-drama of politics – as it would be to jump out of a plane without a parachute and hope that someone would catch us. But we can move ourselves on, shift our awareness, change our consciousness to realize that common spirit of being human that stretches across borders and sees through the games of mine and not yours, and that knows a heart connection with nature.

And then play it forward, pass it on to our children, friends – we become the change that we want to see. Then in working together with new tools of consciousness deep fundamental change of the world becomes possible – and along with it a 40% reduction in carbon emissions and a sub350planet.

President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana has been won an important first round in his plucky fight to save his country’s rain forest.

Although not listed as an endangered rain forest, as Brazil puts the pressure on to stop rain forest deforestation, Amazon forest loggers could see neighbouring Guyana as an easy slash for cash target. President Jagdeo’s plan is to place his nation’s forests under international supervision if other countries paid his citizens not to deforest the tropical landscapes.

Norway bought into his scheme on Monday with $30 million for the small South American nation to run it’s “avoided deforestation” plan. If the program hits its mark, Guyana will receive an additional $250 million through 2015.

Guyana neighbours Brazil

Full story at Worldwatch

Climate change dooms beef baron farmers to extinction if you read between the lines of a report on carbon change, released by The Worldwatch Institute.

The comprehensive study found that 51% of global CO2 emissions (32,564 million tons per year) are directly attributable to livestock and their byproducts. Up to now the generally accepted figure was 18% (7,516 million metric tons per year of CO2 equivalents) given in the  United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2006 report Livestock’s Long Shadow.

This means beef farmers and other livestock farmers plonk an aristocratic sized carbon footprint on the planet that endangers the future of life on the planet as we know it. Dealing with livestock CO2 emissions is the simplest, fast lane way to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations (relative to other GHG reduction measures). So, just as aristocracies have become relics of a bygone age, it’s worth a bet that beef barons and other livestock aristocrats of carbon emission will be largely consigned to another of history’s dust bins of poor adaption.

The simplest solution is for consumers is to eat less meat, because less demand for product means fewer livestock farmers and lower CO2 emissions. And because it’s that simple, it’s not about someone else, or a corporation, its about us…something to chew on.

There’s a couple of simple steps anyone can take to help bring about change:

• 1.  Start munching on a diet that contains more vegetarian or vegan meals – its likely to improve your health too!
• 2.  Tell others the news by making a vegpledge
• 3. Feast and make merry on some great vegetarian recipes at sites like allrecipes.com

PS: With the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference coming up in December 8-17 another easy thing to do is to lend your weight to our petition to US President Obama and other world leaders to reduce green house gas emission by 40%. Don’t let them get away with anything less.

President Obama is one world leader who, potentially, has the vision and heart to draw world leaders into an agreement to reduce of green house gas emission by 40% – the amount needed to return atmospheric carbon content to under 350 parts per million.

He promotes the development of clean energy technology as a way to create jobs and help the planet.

This week, at the rural South Western Florida site of 180 acres of brand new solar cells, enough to power some 3,000 homes President Barack Obama said:

Now it’s time to make the same kind of investment in the way our energy travels to build a clean energy superhighway that can take the renewable power generated in places like DeSoto and deliver it directly to the American people in the most affordable and efficient way possible.

It’s a debate between looking backwards and looking forward, between those who are ready to seize the future and those who are afraid of the future. And we know which side the United States of America has always come down on.

The administration is seeking backing for an energy bill in the Senate that would crack down on carbon pollution from traditional fossil fuels and support for taking a strong stance for global climate conference that will be held in Copenhagen in December.

The world hopes that President Obama can ward off the lobby groups that would seek to seek to turn America’s vision to the past, and that he can secure his vision of a sustainable future, not just in the hearts and minds of Americans, but also in the hearts and minds of the people of the world and their leaders.

Offer your support for President Obama’s vision for the future by signing our Petition to President Obama. If you are a young person please sign our Youth Petition to President Obama.

Welcome to sub350planet ….we invite you to "make a Meal out of climate change" and record your veg pledge by posting a comment. Exactly what your pledge entails is entirely up to you – here’s some suggestions:

1. Pledge to eat vegetarian for one day per week for the next 30 days
2. Pledge to eat vegetarian for 3 days per week for the next 30 days
3. Pledge to eat vegetarian 7 days a week for the next 30 days
4. Any of the above for 60 days or more.

About sub350planet
sub350planet is the co-creation of Vic Albon and Kerry Atma. We were putting together the the "make a Meal out of climate change" flyer for International Day of Climate Action 350 when the term manifested itself in the space of three sentences. We felt it succinctly captured the zeitgeist – the spirit of these times – and so ushered it on to the world stage. It’s only 4 days old now, and we believe it can play a vibrant role in embedding the need for sub 350 parts per million carbon emissions, into the consciousness of each man. woman and child on the planet.

We’ve trade marked sub350planet, to ensure that it is used for purposes that embody and promote best practices in sustainbility and environmental awareness. Please contact us if you want to use the term – we intend to feely encourage its use for any non-commercial, voluntary events – and we can network and perhaps add energy to your initiative.

We threw up (almost literally) this website to have a site where veg pledges could be recorded without you having to opt into someone’s mail list. And while the numbers of people making a pledge tell a story of commitment and change, we feel that it’s important to give you space to make personal comments because, in the long run it is going to be the connection, co-operation and love between us all that will usher in the spirit of sustainability into the hearts and minds of humankind.

So make your pledge and add your personal touch. Add a favourite recipe, a quote, a resource link…what ever you feel could be of help – your co-creative passion is welcome!

International Day of Climate Action Events – Auckland October 24.
We’ll be at:

Swanson Railway Station: arrive 3:30 for a 3:50 start. To help contact Kerry 817 2601 or Linda Openheimer ph 835 0538 or 027 212 1103 and

Takahi Reserve Mt Eden 5 pm to help or for flyers/email flyer contact Vic Albon 09 411 8178 vic@sub350planet.com or Kerry Atma 09 817 2601 kerry@sub350planet.com

Revive has provided us with discount vouchers for their delicious vegetarian food bar in town, for anyone who makes a vegpledge. To get your voucher we will need you email address, so please send it to Vic or Kerry with a request for the voucher.

For more information on International Day of Climate Action Events:

350.org.nz and auckland@350.org.nz

See you on the 24th  October Kerry and Vic