• SAMUEL OSBORNE •
Journalist based in London, reports on international affairs, terrorism and refugee crisis. He tweets @SamuelOsborne93
The world climate is in deep crisis. June 5 is a strong reminder of the global environmental disease. The ailment, perhaps, lethal than CoViD-19, is ticking away, literally, faster than time to a major disaster for humanity. In the words of Prince Ea in this video, it is just US, humans, who are ravaging the planet that has given us an unmatched comfortable shelter.
Richard Williams, known by his stage name Prince Ea, is an American rapper, spoken word artist, and civil rights activist from St Louis, MO, USA. On the World Environment Day, he attempts to open our eyes to the glaring destruction all of US are causing to planet earth and urges us to create a sustainable living on this earth. Prince Ea is the winner of 2016 Film4Climate award in the Connect4Climate program organised by the World Bank.
How fast the world is on its way to devastation can be known from a giant digital display in New York’s Union Square. This unique clock shows second by second countdown of how much time humanity has to solve the climate crisis before it slips past a point of irreversible change.
At the time of writing this piece, online version of the clock shows the current countdown by which the world must achieve zero emissions. By the time you read this, it will have ticked down further.
The clock on the side of a glass-fronted building in lower Manhattan was installed last September by climate activists and artists as part of the Climate Clock project to mark a week of climate action during the annual United Nations General Assembly.
In April this year, the Climate Clock began showcasing a more positive element, with a second number displaying the percentage of global energy produced from renewable sources.
Climate Clock
Besides the countdown the clock also displays the percentage of global energy generated from renewable resources which currently stands at 12.3.
The Climate Clock project also unveiled smaller travelling clocks that show both the time left to act and the percentage of renewable energy.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has urged countries to work together to reduce emissions in order to curb global warming to 1.5C.
If the global temperature rises above that level, scientists warn the planet will see even greater devastating effects, from sea-level rise to loss of coral reefs, heat waves, wildfires, droughts and typhoons.
Current emission rates suggest the world will hit 1.5C in just over six years.
India being a signatory to the IPCC agenda on Climate Change, this Environment Day the country’s prime minister in his speech have stressed on Climate Justice. India in its concerted drive to curb climate damage would do good to instal and embed a Climate Clock in its cities and on its government websites for creating greater awareness among people.
Tags: #WorldEnvironmentDay #ClimateChange #ClimateClock #IPCC #GlovalWarming #CoVid19
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