Climate Clock: The last call for Mother Nature’s plea

Climate change is no foreign subject to us. We know what must be done and how we can achieve it. But by human nature, we ignore the issue until the very last minute. The clock is ticking, and we better hope the world will see a change before it hits the final chime. James Miller, a naturalist campaigner in the UK, shared this gem of information with the world on Twitter recently.

The Glasgow Climate Clock will shine down upon us every night until November, patiently waiting for the leaders of the world to decide the fate of future generations. The lives of countless people are now in the stubborn hands of not only the chosen leaders but also us civilians.

The Clock warns us of what is to come should we choose to ignore the worldwide issues any longer. Having given us both the DEADLINE and the LIFELINE, we humans truly have no excuses not to answer this longing call of Mother Nature.

The DEADLINE counts down the remaining time we have before we overrun our carbon usage for 1.5 degrees C of warming, at current emission rates. The current ‘safe’ threshold that counties in Paris agreed to try to stay below of is 1.5; exceeding it will cost us millions of lives.

The LIFELINE counts the percentage of the world’s energy being generated by renewable resources. It is increasing but at a deadly slow rate. If we have any hope of staying below 1.5, we have no choice but to increase it at a much quicker pace.

Having given us both the DEADLINE and the LIFELINE,
we humans truly have no excuses not to answer
this longing call of Mother Nature.

According to scientists in the world, if we want to keep below 1.5 degrees, we need to halve global annual emissions by the year 2030. This might seem like a daunting mission, but it is possible. Unfortunately for us though, pledges from world leaders will barely bend the emissions curve, let alone halve them. It will take a lot more to stand by this aim and actually pursue it.

There is a vast gap between the current levels of international ambition and where we actually need to be. But there does exist a crucial chance to close this gap at COP26. The UN’s Climate Summit is going to be taking place this November in Glasgow.

This is one of the most critical political events of history. Many have described it as our ‘last best chance’ to act in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It might just be our last call for change, the last cry for help from Mother Nature. It is our responsibility to answer this call and make sure the world leaders use this opportunity wisely to boost international ambition to the level it needs to be.