Rio de Janeiro (EFE)
On the most iconic monument in Brazil, the clock went from 6 years, 0 days and 00:00:00 hours to 5 years, 364 days and 23:59:59 hours, at a time when various points on the planet register extreme heat.
That is the time remaining for humanity “to stay safe from catastrophic climate scenarios” and avoid exceeding the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees, according to the organizers of the action.
Climate clock, international initiative
The Climate Clock is an initiative of an international group of scientists and activists, and will reach zero by the time the carbon budget is depleted, which is an estimate of the amount of emissions that can be released into the atmosphere in order not to exceed the 1.5 degree threshold.
“We must take action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to zero as quickly as possible. Time is getting shorter, while the climatic impacts are getting stronger,” said Natalie Unterstell, president of the Talanoa Institute, responsible for bringing the clock to Brazil.
“Having less than six years to cut carbon emissions in half shows the urgency with which we need to act. There is no time to waste with vague promises and false solutions”, she completed.
The northern hemisphere is currently suffering the effects of an intense heat wave with extreme temperatures in the United States, some parts of Asia and several European countries, where large-scale fires have also been reported, such as in Greece.
On the other hand, the heavy rains have recently caused serious damage, with dozens of deaths, in South Korea, Colombia and Brazil, the latter impacted by the passage of two extratropical cyclones through the south in one month, a rare phenomenon in that region of the country.