Climate Clock

In the midst of the Coronavirus taking over the news and our lives, it is crucial for us to notice the other global matters within our world. Climate change —an issue that has afflicted our world for over 30 years— has become drastically worse over the past couple of years. This crisis is creating more natural disasters than ever before, along with the global temperature rise, warming oceans and declining arctic sea ice.

To shine a little bit of light on this urgent matter, artists Andrew Boyd and Gan Golan have recently teamed up to create the “Climate Clock”. Facing the Union Square in Manhattan, it displays the exact amount of time left until the effects of global warming becomes irreversible. At the time of installation, the clock revealed that the Earth’s deadline was just 7 years, 103 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes and 7 seconds away, as it is currently still counting down. Though the climate clock stays silently ticking, its numbers are demanding for a change.

Although the Earth-melting effects of global warming and climate change may seem like an inevitable catastrophe, as said by Gan Golan, a co-artist of the project, “The world is literally counting on us.” It is solely up to us to notice the climate clock, realize the urgency of this situation, and take action to save our planet.

So, what can we do? For starters, we can make small changes to our daily lifestyle, with environment-friendly decisions. For one, consider using a metal straw, instead of plastic straws. The next time you go to Starbucks or Tim Hortons, bring your own reusable to-go cup. Recycle and reuse whatever, whenever, wherever. The list is endless, and the only thing holding us back is the thought of “I can’t make a difference.” Ironically enough, the similar thought of “I won’t make a difference” was what drove individuals to make poor environmental choices, which led to our Earth’s fatal condition, now in desperate need of our help.

It is time to act on this vital global issue. As much as we have ignored it up until now, soon it will be too late. The due date is set and as the Climate Clock shows us, now it is only a matter of time. In just 7 years, all our chances of ever reversing our actions will have vanished. Let’s be the ones to make this change; to turn this around. We owe it to our environment, our planet, and to the future generations to come.

Written by Jenny Lee