By MELISSA DASSRATH Monday, October 26 2009

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DIVALI HONOUR: El Socorro SDMS. Hindu School at their annual Divali celebration recently honoured several persons for their unconditional and continuo...

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On Saturday, the Women 350 group gathered in the Queen’s Park Savannah to observe the International Day for Climate Action.

The Women 350 group was inspired by the work of the International 350 organisation which has been encouraging environmentalists to stage demonstrations in their own country to raise awareness about the global issue of climate change. The significance of the number 350, originated when a NASA research team concluded that an atmosphere containing carbon dioxide level upwards of 350 ppm (parts per million) could not support life on earth.

A spokesperson for Women 350 said that they took the initiative that ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark to urge people to consider the impact of the climate crisis. Speaking about the message that Women 350 would like to send to the government and the public, the spokesperson said: “Women 350 would like all the governments of the world to sign a treaty which states that through their policies and type of industrialisation and so forth, that they will try to aim to keep carbon dioxide emissions at 350.

“As a small island, we are at a greater risk from the effects of climate change. We will suffer from climate change more than the larger continents will ever face. ”

Fifteen friends formed a circle on the grass in the savannah to show support for their cause. Tracy Assing, who is a member of Women 350 as well as a member of the Indigenous Community, performed the smoke ceremony. Offerings like corn, cassava, rum, coconut water and honey were burned in a clay pot. According to the Amerindians, the smoke is an offering to the earth. One by one, the members of Women 350 approached the fire to sprinkle their offerings into the fire.