On the first day of 2023, the Climate Clock shows that we have 6 years and 201 days left to limit global warming to 1.5º Celsius. This is our deadline, the critical time available to reach zero emissions and do better by reaching Climate Positive.

The Climate Clock will count down in tandem with monumental clocks around the world in New York, Berlin, Seoul, Rome and Glasgow, the action clocks in schools, universities and offices, and the digital clock in itmustbeNOW.com. It shows that there is still time, but we mustn’t pretend that we have more time than we do.

ClimateClock.world is powered by scientists, artists, educators, and activists across the world and the below is their message on The Science, on One Deadline and on Four Lifelines need our full attention and urgent action.

THE SCIENCE IS CLEAR
We are in a Climate Emergency. Decades of increasing carbon emissions are harming the natural and societal systems upon which humanity depends, threatening untold ecological and human devastation if we do not act in time.

Backed by the latest science and powered by scientists, artists, educators, and activists across the world, the Climate Clock tells us what we must do, by when. The Deadline and Lifelines on the Climate Clock make explicit the speed and scope of action that political leaders must take in order to limit the worst climate impacts.

At current rates of greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Clock’s Deadline tells us the time left in our global “carbon budget” to stay under the critical threshold of 1.5°C of global warming. This is a timeline that no government is yet willing to commit to, but we must do what science and justice demand, not what elected officials or CEOs might deem convenient.

ONE DEADLINE: CARBON BUDGET FOR 1.5ºC

In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a Special Report – the first attempt by climate scientists to quantify a remaining global carbon budget that could feasibly keep global warming below 1.5ºC. In summer 2021, the IPCC published a report on the physical science basis of climate change, which included updated carbon budget estimates for limiting global warming to 1.5ºC. In this report, IPCC researchers estimated that, beginning in 2020, humans could release an additional 400Gt of carbon into the atmosphere and still have a 67% chance of limiting warming to 1.5ºC (see here, table SMP.2).

The Climate Clock deadline shows how long we have left until this carbon budget runs out, given the amount of carbon we continue to emit globally. The clock will continue to run down until it hits zero, at which time our carbon budget would be depleted and the likelihood of devastating global climate impacts would be very high. We must take action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions toward zero as quickly as possible within this critical time window for action.

Data for the deadline is sourced from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change. The MCC’s carbon clock assumes an average annual rate of 42.2 Gt of carbon emissions in order to calculate the time remaining on the clock. However, if rates of global emissions continue to rise, our carbon budget will run out even faster. If we cut the rate of global carbon emissions, time on the clock would hypothetically begin to increase.

FOUR LIFELINES
The Climate Clock show four Lifelines.
– The Renewable Energy Lifeline represents the percentage share of global energy consumption generated by renewable resources. We must transition our global energy system away from fossil fuels and increase this lifeline to 100% as soon as possible.

– The Indigenous Land Sovereignty Lifeline displays the total area of land and inland waters currently managed by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) worldwide.

– The Loss and Damage Lifeline tracks the climate debt (in $US) that wealthy, high-emitting G20 countries owe for the devastating impacts their excessive carbon emissions have caused to others, especially those in developing countries. Paying for Loss & Damage is a key climate lifeline, a clear climate solution to help the world meet its necessary climate goals.

– The Green Climate Fund Lifeline shows the amount of money wealthy countries have contributed to the Green Climate Fund.

At this most urgent of times, there is greater expectation for business to lead and do good, address societal problems and demonstrate commitment to a sustainable future with long-term thinking over short-term gain. Doing good means aiming to be Climate Positive before deadline and ensuring a rapid and just transition to a safe climate and regenerative future.

Video Note: The Climate Clock Launch in September of 2020