Climate Clock

The Climate Clock is a graphic to demonstrate how quickly the planet is approaching 1.5℃ of global warming, given current emissions trends.[1] It also shows the amount of CO2 already emitted, and the global warming to date.

Overview

The Climate Clock was launched in 2015 to provide a measuring stick against which viewers can track climate change mitigation progress. The date shown when we reach 1.5℃ will move closer as emissions rise, and further away as emissions decrease. The clock is updated every year to reflect the latest global CO2 emissions trend and rate of climate warming.[2] As of 8 April 2020, the clock shows that the 1.5°C threshold will be breached in 12 years, 7 months, 16 days and 15 hours, or early on 25 November 2032, and current global warming to date is 1.13°C.

The clock is hosted by Human Impact Lab, itself part of Concordia University.[3][4] Organisations supporting the climate clock include Concordia University, the David Suzuki Foundation, Future Earth, and the Climate Reality Project.

Relevance

1.5℃ is an important threshold for many climate impacts, as shown by the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C. Every increment to global temperature is expected to increase weather extremes, such as heat waves and extreme precipitation events. There is also the risk of irreversible ice sheet loss. Consequent sea level rise also increases sharply between 1.5℃ and 2℃, and virtually all corals could be wiped out at 2℃ warming.[5]

References
  1. The Climate Clock: counting down to 1,5°C
  2. The Climate Clock: counting down to 1,5°C
  3. About David Usher
  4. Concordia University Human Impact Lab: Climate Clock project
  5. The Climate Clock: counting down to 1,5°C

See also
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.