The student news site of Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina

The Hi-Times

The student news site of Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina

The Hi-Times

The student news site of Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina

The Hi-Times

Photo courtesy of https://nc211.org/voting/
Why You Should Vote
March 19, 2024

Earth has a deadline and the clock is ticking

Earth+has+a+deadline+and+the+clock+is+ticking

  As of September 29 at 10:45 am, the human population has seven years, 93 days, 20 hours, 14 minutes, and 30 seconds to save the planet. On the weekend of September 19, New York uncovered a digital clock counting down the time until Earth depletes its carbon budget. A carbon budget is the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere to keep the planet within a certain temperature threshold. The newly changed digital clock is displayed on the Metronome building in Union Square.

   The Metronome building has been in New York’s Union Square for 20 years. This building has always been a work of art, but is most well known for its digital clock embedded on the side. Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel had a creative idea about spreading the issue of climate change. The results of their creativity were displayed in the form of the previously established digital clock which was unveiled on September 19. Jones and Ginzel are encouraging others around the world to create their own climate change clock so that they can be reminded of the time left to save the world from climate change. 

   The timeline was created back in 2015 to warn the human population of the time left until our Earth’s carbon is depleted, but was never displayed until 2020. The planet is trying to keep the temperature increase under 1.5 degrees to not greatly affect the climate change. At the rate we are going, we don’t have much time left. 

   There are many ways we can begin to take action as students in our own community. Some of the best and most simple ways to help out are switching to reusable bags for groceries and lunch, donating clothes instead of throwing them away to reduce trash, buying reusable water bottles, and by reusing products and materials instead of throwing them away. From staying informed on all of the changes happening on a larger scale to reducing waste to calculating our schools carbon footprint, we can start to help slow the clock down.