There are 4 years left on the Climate Clock, a desperate encouragement for the world to immediately act on the deadly effects of climate change. The countdown follows the trends of current emissions, and predicts the time humans have left to limit the effects of climate change, marking the deadline at which environmental damages become irreversible. Donald Trump has been elected as president, and he has only 4 years in office to attempt to bring the United States – one of the largest contributors to global warming – onto a positive track towards climate stability, and he has no time to waste. The climate policies of each candidate in the election was a driving force for many to vote for whomever they did, however, the question is: If with one election the American people confirmed an inevitable death sentence for the world.
The United Nations dedicates a website towards educating the public on climate change and provides resources and action steps against the global crisis. The Causes and Effects page describes how fossil fuels are the leading contributor to the environmental shifts, and account for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UN further explores how adopting initiatives to limit global temperatures a certain amount above pre-industrial times, and shifting towards a net-zero world, are the necessary actions every country needs to take. These actions are listed in the Paris Agreement, which is an international treaty that guides global efforts and includes “commitments from all countries to reduce their emissions and work together to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and calls on countries to strengthen their commitments over time.”
However, Donald Trump’s administration entirely contradicts the efforts of the UN, as he has emphasized his support of fossil fuels and opposition to renewable energy policies, in order to move towards his goal of a more financially dominant United States. In President Trump’s previous presidency, he withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, ceasing contributions to the Green Climate Fund – an objective to assist developing countries with climate change adaptations – and made the US the only country to back out of its commitment to limit global warming. Immediately after entering office, President Biden officially rejoined the Paris Agreement, however, Trump has been adamant on the economic burden imposed on the country by the treaty and has expressed his intention to pull the US from the agreement for the second time. The remainder of the Climate Clock is aligned with Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency, leaving the health of the planet dependent on him to reduce the negative impacts of one of the largest climate polluters.
