By Arshia Tadipatri
We collectively emit over 50 billion tons of Greenhouse gases globally; this is at an all-time high. What causes global warming? Why are we not taking it seriously? Is humanity for or against humanity itself one might ask? We have never been closer to the brink than we are today. How do we know? So how do we measure and alarm humanity of the destruction we cause? Well how far are we from doomsday is one measure perhaps. That is where the doomsday clock comes in handy. The Doomsday Clock measures likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe caused due to unchecked scientific and technical advances. Greenhouse gas emission directly correlates to global warming which is a major contributor to the doomsday clock measure.
The clock was started in 1947. Basically, it gives us a hypothetical measure of how far we are from doomsday. In the case of the clock, 12AM midnight is the “hypothetical global catastrophe” and based on the current situation the clock is set back in terms of minutes to midnight. It was set at 7 minutes during inception. Since then, the clock has been reset 24 times, the longest being 17 minutes in 1991. The clock was reset in Jan of 2020 at a mere 100 seconds, that is 1 minute and 40 seconds. This was revised down from 2 minutes set in 2018 and was done prior to assessing the real impact COVID-19 has had on humanity, so it could get a lot worse and is trending downward.
Some key findings for greenhouse gas emissions for instance:
1. Majority of greenhouse gas is Carbon Dioxide (CO2) (illustration 1) per the EPA
2. Per EPA, majority of greenhouse gas is due to industrial development (Industry, Energy, Transportation etc. close to 70% of total emissions)
3. 7 countries together contribute close to 70% of the emissions with China leading the way with 30%
4. Emissions of CO2 are at an all time high.
So, the doomsday clock is ticking to the end of the world suggesting that time is running out and the end of the world is nearing. We have heard these phrases in the context of human made global catastrophes such as global warming, yet every time most seem to discount it and continue with our daily lives without any change for the better. Humanity usually has a tendency to lax until things get from bad to worse and then step up efforts to reverse the trend. Now is the time. With COVID 19 causing havoc, hope humanity takes a pause collectively and turns the tide toward a sustainable, healthy, peaceful and a long-lasting planet for millennials to come.