Global race is on to meet the Climate Clock deadline

On July 22, the Climate Clock – whose numbers Greta Thunberg, King Charles III, and other climate champions have for years used to demand urgent action – will drop below three years for the first time. 

This will signal a shrinking window to avert worsening Climate Catastrophe by preventing global warming from rising above 1.5°C. We will pass this critical red line before the next FIFA World Cup in 2030 and by the time this year’s undergraduate students earn their degrees. 

This is not doomerism. This is simply what the world’s best science has been telling us, clearly and accurately, for nearly a decade. It may sound like all is lost. On the contrary: Solutions abound, and there are many reasons for hope. 

But first we need to understand where we are and how we got here. The anti-progress, self-sabotaging direction of the United States administration has now all but assured that the planet will blow past this critical global deadline in three years.

This will set the world on a dangerous track toward increased chaos and disruption, from extreme heatwaves to increased devastation by floods to collapsing food systems. President Donald Trump has not done this alone. 

Clean energy

Under Trump, the federal government has acted as a direct appendage of the Fossil Fuel industry, seeking profits at all costs while sabotaging the most viable climate solutions and undermining any sustainable alternatives to oil, gas, and coal.

His administration has ended clean energy tax credits, terminated emission standards for cars and trucks, and eliminated the scientific and legal foundation for greenhouse gas regulations. 

With a special spite, Trump has also forced money-losing coal plants to continue operating while cancelling perfectly good already 80% complete offshore wind projects.

And once again the world finds itself embroiled in another “War for Oil,” this time over the Strait of Hormuz with a running price tag of US$100 billion. The economic, social, and ecological costs of fossil fuels have been likened to “Energy From Hell.” 

Despite these frightening realities, there is a surprising amount of good news. While the US stumbles backward, the rest of the world races forward. The pace of China’s renewable energy growth has been staggering. 

China reached its 2030 wind and solar targets six years ahead of schedule. It installs 3 gigawatts of solar power per day – meaning it builds the rough equivalent of a large coal-fired power plant worth of renewable energy every eight hours. 

Renewables now account for over 60% of the country’s power generating capacity. Climate activist and author Bill McKibben describes China as the “Costco of energy” – its massive production of solar panels is one of the key drivers of the global clean energy revolution.  

In the race toward renewables, China is now kicking the United States butt outright, having installed five times the capacity of the US.

Riding the global glut of cheap Chinese solar panels, Pakistan is undergoing one of the fastest grassroots energy transitions in the world. In over just two years, ordinary citizens independently installed an estimated 27 gigawatts of solar capacity. 

Offshore wind

This consumer-led boom made solar the nation’s largest single source of electricity. India’s renewable energy sector is the world’s third largest, with non-fossil sources exceeding 51% of the country’s total installed capacity. It has already hit its 2030 targets. 

Powered by offshore wind, Denmark leads Europe’s remarkable green transition. It now sources roughly 88% of its net electricity from green tech, and aims for 100% renewable electricity by 2030. 

Uruguay now generates nearly 99% of its electricity from renewable sources. This massive transition slashed production costs by half, created 50,000 jobs, and allows the country to export surplus clean energy to Argentina and Brazil. 

Even the Vatican is getting in on the action, driving forward hard on an ambitious initiative to make Vatican City the world’s first carbon-neutral state. And in spite of Trump’s efforts to undermine it, the USA’s transition to renewables rolls forward. 

This May, for the first time in the US, solar power generated more electricity than coal. A huge milestone. Despite the reduction in federal subsidies, demand by American consumers for renewable energy continues unabated, simply because it’s the most affordable option.

Over the last decade, solar energy has become 10 times cheaper, onshore wind three times cheaper. Renewable energy is now the cheapest source of new power in most markets. 

Falling prices mean renewables accounted for over 90% of total worldwide new electricity-generating capacity. They now account for one-third of global power. In 2024 alone, global power generation from renewable sources saved $467 billion in avoided fossil fuel costs. 

If it wasn’t for the relentless deluge of Climate Denialism and anti-science rhetoric muddying our public discourse, these incredible human achievements in the face of catastrophe would be sources of great national and international pride, akin to World Cup victories.

Just this spring, frustrated by the United Nation’s COP process that year after year has been undermined by petro states and fossil fuel lobbyists, 50 governments gathered for a First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. 

Success story

This “coalition of the willing” charted out concrete next steps to accelerate the global transition to renewables. Real results have been delivered, such as we’re not going to go extinct!

Recently, scientists have determined that the most dreaded, worst-case scenario of a 4.5°C-plus global temperature increase is now, thankfully, off the table. This is due to the combined efforts of governments, activists, scientists, engineers, and consumers.

We have – for now – slowed the runaway climate train from crashing at full velocity into a horrific future. This is a massive success story of the global climate movement that has gotten far fewer headlines than it deserves.

Perhaps the part of this global crisis that future generations may have the hardest time understanding is how clear and doable the solutions we need are. Meanwhile, the Climate Clock also tracks the dollar cost of inaction, currently $32 trillion. Yes, that’s right. 

According to an extensive study from the journal Nature, acting now to mitigate climate change would potentially prevent $32 trillion in damages by 2050.

At the same time, a new analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence reports that the US spends nearly $1 trillion per year on climate damages, exceeding 3% of American GDP.

The Climate Clock has been doing its part to hasten progress, branching out from our monumental time keeper in New York City’s Union Square to dozens of countries. It has put clocks in the hands of hundreds of climate activists across the world. 

Climate champions from presidents to TV meteorologists have now used the clock to push for urgent implementation of the solutions. The threats are very real and time is of the essence. But the solutions available to us are vast and achievable.

Deadline progress

All these solutions are displayed on the Clock in real time, tracking our forward progress as the deadline counts down. The Climate Clock was never an “End of The World” clock, but a “How to Save The World” clock.

To paraphrase an old saying: “The best time to avert climate disaster was 10 years ago. The second best time is now.” Every fraction of a degree counts. It’s never too late to fight for people and the planet. Even as the Clock ticks toward zero, we must – and can– act in time. 

Gan Golan is an activist, illustrator, New York Times bestselling author, and co-creator of 1/6: The Graphic Novel. Andrew Boyd is a co-founder of Beautiful Trouble and Climate Clock and the author of I Want a Better Catastrophe. 

This edited article is republished from Common Dreams under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.