Namrata Chowdhary: Three (50) Is A Magic Number (re-broadcast)

In the first decade of this century many of us learned that the threshold for keeping our planet healthy was 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Advocates like those at 350.org emphasized the need to adopt practices to help the earth stay below that number. Well, unfortunately, we earthlings have blown through that limit and are presently looking at 419 parts per million. But that doesn’t mean the idea of lowering our carbon emissions is moribund. And there are still organizations like 350.org keeping the dream alive. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to Namrata Chowdhary, the Head of Public Engagement at 350.org. We learn more about the organization’s roots, examine some of the fights they’ve taken on, and discuss how they’re planning to evolve. We also talk about the corporatization of some larger environmental organizations and dive into the issues surrounding fossil fuel divestiture. 00:02 Narrator – This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I’m Alex Wise. 00:15 Namrata Chowdhary (NC) – Yes, in the Global North we need to acknowledge that there’s a gap in how we people the climate movement, and at the same time, we need to acknowledge that and environmentalism has held different forms in different parts of the world for decades longer. 00:33 Narrator – In the first decade of this century many of us learned that the threshold for keeping our planet healthy was 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Advocates like those at 350.org emphasized the need to adopt practices to help the earth stay below that number. Well, unfortunately, we earthlings have blown through that limit and are presently looking at 419 parts per million. But that doesn’t mean the idea of lowering our carbon emissions is moribund. And there are still organizations like 350.org keeping the dream alive. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to Namrata Chowdhary, the Head of Public Engagement at 350.org. We learn more about the organization’s roots, examine some of the fights they’ve taken on, and discuss how they’re planning to evolve. We also talk about the corporatization of some larger environmental organizations and dive into the issues surrounding fossil fuel divestiture. 01:43 Alex Wise (AW) – I’m joined now on Sea Change Radio by Namrata Chowdhary. She is the head of public engagement at 350.org. Namrata, welcome to Sea Change Radio. 01:54 Namrata Chowdhary (NC) – Thank you ever so much, it’s a pleasure to be here. 01:56 Alex Wise (AW) – Pleasure to have you. You are coming to us from London, is that correct? 02:00 NC – That is correct. On a grey, cold day one wouldn’t believe it’s spring. 02:06 AW – First, why don’t you give us a bit of a background for our listeners who are not familiar with the mission of your organization and give us a little bit of the history and then we’ll catch up listeners on how the organization has evolved over the years. 02:21 NC – What a beautiful invitation to share about the history of an organization that I’ve long admired before I became part of it. 350.org was founded in 2008 by Bill McKibben, whom you’ve had on your show before, and a group of university friends who were his students at the time, and it’s named after – we are named after – the safe limits of 350 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere. And that’s what we’re hoping to – or determined to, I should say – determined to get the earth back towards. We need to bring ourselves back to 350 parts of one million. The roots of 350 are very firmly in the activist sphere. It started with youth activists and today still we draw our primary strength from the young activists at the front lines, many of whom are at the front lines of the climate crisis and all of whom are committed to doing their part to changing the narrative of fossil fuels as the only way to bring energy to us. And are determined to do what they can to secure a more positive, uplifting, safe future for all.