Since September 2020, the Climate Clock in NYC has been steadily counting down the time until the end of the world. Well, not really. As the name implies, instead it’s a clock estimating the time window we have to do something about climate change before it becomes irreversible. As of April, the clock counts down to July 21st, 2029 at noon. Even with the constant reminder of the limited time we hold, it appears as though the Earth’s temperature has only increased. 

According to NASA, Earth’s temperature in the past 10 years has been the highest it’s ever been. Climate.gov states that 2023 was the hottest year on record (since 1850). Like the year 2023, carbon emissions from fossil fuels have also reached record high levels. The sudden increase has brought many critics to a regrettable conclusion: “It is too late." This sentiment is also shared by Robert Ballad, Ocean Scientist & Titanic Discoverer, who said over 14 years ago, far before the severity of global warming in 2023, “All the ice is going to melt. There’s a lag, and it’s already in the system. People don’t want to say that because they still want people to change their ways.” And Ballard’s points have been proven right in the light of today’s events. The ice has been melting, causing an increase in the absorption of solar radiation, which causes even more warming, restarting the cycle again.

Despite the pessimists, many still have hope. The world still has time to reverse the effects of climate change and prevent the most extreme reactions. For the last 5 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been saying that we could allow global warming to be limited to 1.5°C (34.5°F). They’ve shown that it is possible. If we implement immediate and deep emission reductions, public transportation, and manage household waste, we could reduce greenhouse emissions. We could achieve so much more, avoid any unnecessary casualties, and pave the way for our future generation if policies and programs were deployed more widely. 

We have the plans, strategies, and materials, so what’s stopping us? Regardless of the overwhelming scientific evidence and the numerous countries pledged, our emissions are still increasing. There is so much talk about climate change in the media, yet it seems like nothing is happening. Now, we arrive at the core of why climate change has not yet improved: we don’t have the cooperation of the whole. One person implementing climate-changing strategies will not make a dent in the rising temperatures if a whole corporation continues the opposite. There will be nothing done if we don’t do it as a collective. Climate change can be stopped, but sitting by and doing nothing won’t help.