We all know that if we don’t take severe measures to combat global warming, we will face irreversible impacts in the future. But when will that be?
Andrew Boyd and Gan Golan, two climate activists and artists, show us just exactly how soon we can expect those impacts through their stunning installation of the Climate Clock – a clock broadcasting the exact amount of time we have to control greenhouse gas emissions before we face a climate catastrophe.
The installation is set as the Metronome, located in New York’s Union Square, which was originally installed on the side of a glass building more than two decades ago. It used to simply be a unique clock that counted how far away New York was from midnight, but in September 2020, this art piece was turned into a dire warning.
What is the Climate Clock?
The Climate Clock is one of the most dynamic climate campaigns in the world today, melding art, science, technology, and grassroots organizing to get the world to #ActInTime.
The project is centered on a simple tool: a clock that counts down the critical time window to reach zero emissions (our “Deadline”), while tracking our progress on key solution pathways (“Lifelines”).
By showing us what we need to do by when, the Clock frames our critical mission — a rapid and just transition to a safe climate future — and puts it at the very forefront of our attention.
Since its famous launch in New York in September 2020, Climate Clock has aroused echoes and sprung up across the world from Chiapas to Kazakhstan, from Seoul to Glasgow, the host city of the UN’s COP26 climate summit this year. The Clock has been drawing attention of the public through its eye-catching manifestation.
Is there still time?
Now, many countries are adopting renewable energy and shifting away from fossil fuels, new technology is helping businesses and agriculture to become more sustainable, and millions of people are fighting to change the pollution created during the Industrial Revolution. We need to move fast if we want to turn back the clock, and fortunately, there is still time to do so.
Reference
ClimateClock.world. https://climateclock.world/
New York League of Conservation Voters. https://nylcv.org/news/the-earth-has-a-deadline-climate-clock-warns-us-just-how-much-time-we-have-left/
Green Matters. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/climate-change-clock