Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated to display the Climate Clock, a visual representation of the limited time the world has to combat global warming effectively and prevent disastrous consequences. The clock showed the remaining time ticking from 6 years, 0 days, 00:00 hours to 5 years, 364 days, 23:59.59 hours.

The Climate Clock project is a collaboration between the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Its goal is to emphasize the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero as quickly as possible to keep global median temperatures from surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, beyond which catastrophic impacts are predicted by climate scientists.

Natalie Unterstell from the Instituto Talanoa, responsible for bringing the Climate Clock to Brazil, stressed the need to act swiftly and avoid wasting time on ineffective solutions and vague promises.

The unveiling of the Climate Clock in Brazil coincided with a time when extreme weather events are wreaking havoc across the world. Countries like the United States, Greece, and Niger are grappling with record-breaking heatwaves, while South Korea, Colombia, and Brazil have experienced devastating floods and torrential rains that have resulted in numerous fatalities.

In summary, the illumination of Christ the Redeemer with the Climate Clock serves as a reminder of the dwindling time left to address climate change effectively and the pressing need for urgent and impactful action on a global scale.