Climate Clock ticks down to moment of irrevocable environmental trauma

In less than five years, the damage done to our planet will officially be irreversible. We’ve already been able to see the widespread impacts of climate change on our planet, as summer temperatures draw on into the autumn months, snowfall comes later and later each year, and wildfires incinerate the greater Los Angeles area. Climate change is a destructive agent that we’ve allowed to run rampant because humans seem to underestimate the power of the Earth, forgetting that they are not the ones at the center of the universe.

The Climate Clock, a ticking time bomb of damnation, measures how much time remains before continued carbon dioxide emissions lock in at least 1.5 degrees of global warming, which under the Paris Agreement is a key threshold for global climate goals. Every second the climate clock counts down as humans fail to change their destructive ways, sitting at just under five years until we cannot go back. 

In 2015, world leaders signed off on the legally binding international treaty on climate change, and it has a long-term temperature goal which it seeks to keep the global surface temperature below. Once the clock counts down in the next four to five years, humans will likely have produced enough carbon dioxide pollution to trigger at least 1.5 degrees of warming, according to the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) in Berlin. This timeline is based on the assumption that emissions remain at a similar pace to pre-pandemic levels, which returned in 2022 after dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Action is needed now. Energy infrastructure and structural change is not something that you do in a couple of months. It’s something that needs years,” Sabine Fuss, leader of the group working on sustainable resource management and global change at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, said. “Even if you have marginally more time, it still means that you have to act immediately.”

This call to action has been long ignored, and time is not on humanity’s side. “The Clock’s Deadline tells us that, at current rates of greenhouse gas emissions, we have less than eight years left in our global ‘carbon budget’ that gives two-thirds chance of staying under the critical threshold of 1.5°C of global warming” (climateclock.world).

The emergence of the issue only increases as recently re-elected President Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from the aforementioned Paris Agreement. He claims this is because the agreement is an “unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off,” which imposes unjust burdens on the country’s economy. This order was made less than 24 hours after his inauguration, showing his lack of regard for climate change.

Vice President JD Vance shares similar views on the matter, and has referred to climate change as “weird science,” remaining skeptical of the scientific consensus behind the issue. While those in power prioritize the economy when it comes to climate change, the facts contradict their actions as “10 extreme weather events caused a worldwide economic loss of around $170.3 billion. Not only are people losing their homes and livelihoods, but also their culture, dignity and future opportunities,” according to the climate clock. 

Furthermore, “heat waves, forest fires, droughts and massive floods caused by climate change have become daily headlines, forcing 26 million people into poverty each year” (climateclock.world). This can be clearly seen through the recent highly-destructive fires in California, which have wiped out hundreds of homes and businesses, the fires so rampant nothing can be done. It’s not only politicians that have a lack of regard for climate change, as many influencers have only just begun speaking up about the issue since they’ve now been directly affected by the fires. 

While those in power continue to deny the facts, the average individual can take action as well. Every aspect, both big and small, surrounding daily life can have a large impact on our planet, and by making minor changes to everyday routines, positive impacts will be had. One simple change that can help preserve limited resources is taking shorter and cooler showers. This act can save gallons of water and also reduces the amount of energy used to heat up the water. Additionally, clothing dryers are one of the most energy-consumptive appliances at home, and air-drying clothes every once in a while is a simple way to minimize carbon consumption.

Humanity’s selfish ways will prove to be the agent of our demise if nothing is done about climate change. Every second that ticks away on the clock is a second that we don’t have. From individual energy saving to the government taking charge, everybody needs to take action in order to combat the destruction of climate change.

by Emma Toney

Published February 3rd, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue IV