Moving Planet

On September 24th, 350.org together with some 150 other organizations is staging its latest day of action. It's tough not to get excited.

The emphasis is on moving the planet beyond fossil fuels, and what better way than getting millions excited by staging thousands of events in over 160 countries?

Well, millions or even a billion people moving around on bikes for a day won't move us from fossil fuels to wind turbines. It'll take much more than that.

These folks know that. What makes this movement so important is its emphasis on real, fundamental policy change. In fact, the first demand is a call for "science-based policies to get us back to 350ppm." Emphasis on policy.

The organizers also get the basic bathtub problem and drive home the point by calling for a "rapid, just transition to zero carbon emissions." Emphasis on zero.

Both 350ppm and zero emissions, of course, are far from easy to achieve. That doesn't make the goals any less important. There are certainly worse ways to spend your Saturday than participating in one of the Moving Planet events near you.

Just remember that it's policy change we need. By all means, keep on biking long after Saturday. But remember biking alone won't move us off fossil fuels. The right policies will.