Climate clock shows the world has less than 5 years to exceed global warming limit
The Climate Clock, a powerful symbol of the urgent need for climate action, is set to drop below the 5-year mark for the first time on Monday, July 22.
The Climate Clock, launched in 2020, is a metaphorical timer that counts down the years, days, hours, and seconds we have left to take decisive action on climate change.
Based on current emission rates and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) recommendations, the clock calculates how much time remains to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
As of Monday, July 22, the clock will read less than 5 years as projected by the clock's operators in New York, highlighting the critical need for immediate and collective action.
The 1.5°C limit is a key target set by the Paris Agreement, an international treaty adopted in 2015 to combat climate change. Scientists warn that exceeding this limit could lead to severe consequences, including more frequent and intense heatwaves, rising sea levels, and widespread disruption of ecosystems.
Additionally, The Climate Clock's operators have declared Monday "Climate Emergency Day" as a call to action to urge individuals and communities to demand scalable solutions and intensify efforts to address the climate crisis.
“Climate Emergency Day is our moment to unite with communities, influence policy and investments and hold governments and corporations accountable for their promises to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and finance climate solutions. This urgency is heightened as nearly half of the world goes to the polls this year. It is a decisive year for our planet and for our leaders to demonstrate their commitment to a sustainable future,” said Mahak Agrawal, the Global Campaign Lead at Climate Clock.
According to a 12th July publication by Reuters, The United Nations's climate summit in November this year will focus on finance, pressuring large economies like the EU to commit more funding to help developing nations address climate change.
The EU will also pressure countries at COP29 to follow through on their fossil fuel phase-out pledges, a draft negotiating position shows.
