Sukyo Mahikari North America - Sukyo Mahikari has become a partner with an environmental campaign called "350.org."

Sukyo Mahikari has become a partner with an environmental campaign called "350.org."

What does "350" mean?
Recent scientific research has shown that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide is the highest concentration the Earth's atmosphere can have that allows life and civilization to be maintained. For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide. That amount of carbon dioxide is useful – without some carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere, our planet would be too cold for humans to live on.

But beginning in the 18th century, humans began to burn coal and gas and oil to produce energy and goods. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise, at first slowly and now more quickly. Our atmosphere is already at 387 parts per million of carbon dioxide, and the amount is climbing rapidly – however, there is still time to bring it back down. We can think of this number as like a cholesterol level – it's bad news to get, but there's still time to get it under control, if we work for global changes.

A group of mostly young people throughout the world created a campaign called 350.org (that's their website, too), in an effort to draw global attention to this new fact about the Earth. On October 24, thousands of events all over the world are being planned to make this number widely known and to make a global statement to world leaders – government, non – government, and business leaders – who will meet in Copenhagen in December to finalize a new global climate change agreement to follow the Kyoto Protocol.

Many faith communities are planning activities for the 350 campaign, such as churches that are planning to ring their bells 350 times, followed by beach or community clean–ups. The movement has already had an important effect: The latest draft of the forthcoming global climate agreement issued by the UN on June 22, 2009 – called the "UN Framework Convention on Climate Change" – mentions the 350 target six times.

Sukyo Mahikari has signed the interfaith petition to support this effort at www.350.org and Sukyo Mahikari's name is listed among the campaign's supporters at www.350.org/friends. The leaders of the Sukyo Mahikari Youth Group are currently planning an activity to participate in this environmental effort.