A 1.5ºC WARMER WORLD How a seemingly small decimal could change life as we know it Crystal Li
“T
here is no doubt that Climate Change is terrifying. We will likely see many of nature’s orgaan existential threat,” explained Dr. Pam nized systems start to pass critical points of no return, Reynolds, a chemistry teacher passion- triggering permanent modifications and transformate about sustainability. “Prediction of our tipping ing the peaceful normalcy that we enjoy right now. point is difficult.” As the sunshine reflects across the Boyd and Golan partnered with scientists glassy facades of metropolis skylines, an innovative and advocates for the technological installation that attraction was unveiled on September 21 upon the functions similarly to the carbon clock developed massive public art installation known as the Metro- by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Comnome located along the south end of Union Square. mons and Climate Change. The institution employs Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, the two cre- data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ative artists behind the project, introduced a digital Change (IPCC) special report on global warming of climate clock that counts down 1.5 degrees Celsius. Containing to an approaching “dooms- “When people start global warming to 1.5 degrees day”—the time we have left to Celsius is critical, say experts, to to understand the control greenhouse gas emisavoid some of the most severe sions enough to allow Earth a consequences of climatic fluctuseverity of the 67 percent chance of keeping the ations, including rising sea levissues they tend to world under 1.5 degrees Celsius els, flooding, loss of coral reefs, of warming. This design takes a and wildfires, and other disasters. become more step further into showing a visual The 1.5 degrees of warming interested in deadline regarding how long the refers to the Earth’s average temworld has left to act. The project becoming part of perature increase. This increase concurred with the city’s climate is measured from a baseline avthe solution.” week and was intended to be an erage temperature in the mid-toSarah Kaplan (‘23) imaginative invitation that inlate nineteenth century—when spires others to create their own climate clocks. the Industrial Revolution rocked into high gear, and “This is our way to shout that number from the people began burning fossil fuels on an unprecedentrooftops,” Golan announced just before the count- ed magnitude, inflaming climate change. “Several redown began. “The world is literally counting on us.” gional changes in climate are assessed to occur with As of October 22, we have approximately sev- global warming up to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared en years and 70 days to make changes. Just what would to pre-industrial levels, including warming of exour world be like if we did not meet that deadline? treme temperatures in many regions,” reported IPCC. When most people think of summertime’s hottest This growing problem is particularly close to days, they might imagine a sunny day where tempera- home for many of us. In early September this year, an tures reside around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees extreme heatwave shattered temperature records in Fahrenheit). Sure, another degree or two may just be a numerous areas in Southern California. The dry, therlittle bit more uncomfortable, but that hardly feels like mal circumstances helped stoke new and existing fires. doomsday. Though the changes may not be directly ap- These intense events fit a long-term pattern toward parent for humans, scientists point out that we will no- more prolonged and more intense heat waves in Southtice some of the climate impacts we already recognize ern California, according to recently published studies. everywhere today begin to go from bad to downright
12 LOCAL & BEYOND | Issue 03
