New York: Climate campaigners unveiled a huge countdown clock, showing how little time is left before global temperatures hit a critical high, to kick off a week of climate action in New York. The Climate Clock unveiled by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd warned at 1:30 p.m. Monday that there were 7 years, 101 days, 17 hours, 29 minutes and 22 seconds until Earth’s carbon budget is depleted, based on current emission rates.
The display, plastered onto the side of a glass building for Climate Week, shows two numbers. The first, displayed in red, is what the creators refer to as “deadline.” The timer counts down how long it will take for the world to burn through its carbon budget if swift action isn’t taken to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
The installation, which was unveiled, replacing the astronomical clock that was first erected at Metronome, New York City’s public art wall that was constructed in 1999. The original 60-foot-wide monument at 1 Union Square South was designed by Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel, who wanted to explore “the relationship between the city and time,” according to the Public Art Fund website. The string of numbers known as “The Passage” showed how much time had passed since midnight and how much time was left until midnight.
But as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 1 million people worldwide, the artists are urging the public not to lose sight of the threat of climate change. Together they hope that the project will remind people to “flatten the climate curve” to protect the planet.
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