The Climate Clock, revealed in September 2020, is a public art installation, measuring over 80 feet in width, displaying the time left to prevent the irreversible damages of global warming. Located four stories above New York City’s Union Square, the Climate Clock initially warned of seven years and 102 days to reach zero emissions — the time is now at four years and fewer than 90 days. The Climate Clock is seen by over 300,000 people each day, but few truly understand its symbolism and meaning.
In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a special report detailing the impacts of global warming 1.5𐩑C above pre-industrial levels along with a “carbon budget,” the total amount of carbon dioxide humanity can emit while still maintaining a reasonable chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C (34.7°F). Exceeding this threshold can trigger irreversible climate change effects, affecting all forms of biodiversity and ecosystems, including more extreme weather events, loss of local species, reduction of agricultural produce, and an overall negative consequences on human health. While a 1.5°C increase in global warming will have significant impacts on the planet, a 2°C (35.6°F) increase will be catastrophic, threatening coral reef ecosystems, Arctic summer ice sheets, and food security. The Paris Agreement thus aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C with its target being 1.5°C.
Climate activists Andrew Boyd and Gan Golan, along with their team, chose to place their project at Union Square because of its historical significance as a gathering place for social and political activism. This project sparked a movement; local governments, civil-service teams, and schools around the world began installing their own climate clocks, bringing awareness to the climate crisis we currently face. Following the successful initial launch in New York City, the Climate Clock team has installed clocks of a similar scale in major cities worldwide such as Berlin, Seoul, and Glasgow.
Each month from February 2023 to January 2024, the global temperature has been estimated at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the first 12-month period in history to exceed this crucial threshold. Not only were most days of 2024 exceeding the 1.5°C warning, the year was marked by alarming reductions in ice sheet levels, droughts, and record-breaking heat levels in Africa, and destructive wildfires worldwide, amongst other climate change effects. However, this does not mean the long-term goal is out of reach. It is more crucial than ever for individuals, communities, and governments to take action. This reality strengthens the significance of the Climate Clock: an urgent call to action.
