In New York City, an ominous 62-foot-wide clock on Union Square displays seemingly random numbers to the public. Passersby had plenty of theories as to what the clock might be entailing: maybe something to do with pi, or perhaps the world population; however, the clock serves more as a warning than a message. It displays the exact amount of time we have until climate change is irreversible.

The clock was created as a way to spark change and emotion to the masses of the city, and to create a conversation on how serious climate change and global warming are becoming to the general public. The clock also displays messages like “The Earth has a deadline,” aiding in spreading the urgency of this issue to others.

In addition to the Climate Change Clock, the creators also produced an online version on climateclock.world in order to educate more people outside of the city on the urgency of climate change reversal. The website provides links to the science behind climate change reversal, such as renewable energy and the green climate fund. It also includes ways for people to get involved and help the Earth, like links for campaigns to join and places to donate.

The goal of the creators was to display the clock in a very public space where it would be seen by hundreds of people every day, in the same way that art or other displays would be shown. By doing this, the artists are creating a monument that shows just how real and almost inevitable this situation is, and how urgently action must be taken if we wish to save our planet.

As of Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:32 AM, our time left to limit global warming to 1.5 C is 6 years, 231 days, 21 hours, 27 minutes and 40 seconds.