Annie Comes Home: Why I support 350.org

Pamela,

Each year at this time I look back — not only over the past 12 months but also to the early days of 350.org, when we were just a handful of people with a wild idea — and I'm struck by how that spark still burns. Yet now, the stakes are higher, and the fight is more urgent.

350.org's name refers to the safe upper limit of 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. In September 2025, we were already at 431 ppm. Today, 350.org is a reminder of the urgent need to prevent this number from increasing further, and to commit to actions that will return us to the safe limit, for the sake of our collective future.

That's exactly why I'm asking you: Will you make a gift today, during the Year-End Match? Your tax-deductible gift by December 31 will help 350.org reach its $350,000 goal. And you'll double your impact for climate action and a fossil fuel-free future!

The fossil fuel industry is stronger than ever, and climate disasters are no longer warnings, but our everyday reality.

But here's what gives me hope: the ground is shifting. Everywhere I look, people are stepping up — communities building clean power, pushing back pipelines, refusing to accept the status quo.

Solar installations are accelerating faster than anyone predicted. In many places, renewable energy is no longer an alternative; it's becoming the obvious future.

Even in places under pressure, people are fighting back — returning power to local hands and demanding better energy systems.

The fossil fuel industry is clearly scared — spending more money than ever on politics to push their wrecking agenda. And we are clearly a force to be reckoned with.

This year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made history by making it clear that nations most responsible for the climate crisis have a legal obligation to protect current and future generations by cutting emissions and providing reparations for those affected. The court's ruling was driven by 27 law students in the Pacific, who turned heartbreak into action. 350.org is proud to have supported these change-makers.

When we continue to build momentum now — through your gift that goes TWICE as far — we can supercharge grassroots campaigns, empower frontline leaders, scale up renewable energy solutions, and carry these gestures into tangible change.

350.org is more than a campaign: it's a network, a movement of people who refuse to let fossil fuel money monopolize our future. We translate global insights into local action, connect activists across borders, and show that collective action has power.

Your year-end gift today matters. It helps ensure that these sparks become flames — that the momentum we're seeing doesn't stall out.

Thank you, truly, for believing. For giving. For being part of this story.

In solidarity,

Bill McKibben
Co-founder, 350.org

P.S. In another sign of our impact, David Byrne, internationally renowned musician best known as the frontman of Talking Heads, personally invited 350.org to be one of only three featured nonprofits throughout his Who is the Sky? Tour. This presence at concert venues throughout North America allowed us to proudly share our work with fans and grow the 350.org climate movement even more. Thank you for all you have done — and all I hope you will continue to do — to support our work with your year-end gift today.