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Tick tock… Mind the climate clock

Musician David Usher and professor Damon Matthews show us what climate change could mean — in our lifetime — and how we can make a difference
April 19, 2016
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By Louise Morgan


Climate change is a threat to our planet — and our species. The scientific community has determined the most dangerous effects of global warming occur when global temperatures rise two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

What does this two-degree threshold mean to you and me?

Musician David Usher and leading climate expert Damon Matthews, associate professor in Concordia’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, collaborated to demonstrate in real terms.

They created a climate clock to show how current greenhouse gas emissions affect our planet’s trajectory to reach two degrees. Emission data feeding the climate clock’s projections will be updated, ultimately showing how our collective behaviour advances or slows the clock.

In this video, produced by Melodie Le Siege, they explain what the two-degree scenario could look like, and use the climate clock to show how soon we’ll get there.

#2degrees

Share this video if you care about our planet.

Visit concordia.ca/countdown2degrees.

Music by David Usher: “Prelude” from Mile End Sessions and “Stay” from Songs from the Last Day on Earth

See the outdoor projection: April 20 to 23, 2016

See the Climate Clock in action on Concordia University's Sir George Williams Campus!

It will be screened on the evenings of April 20 through 23, from sundown (around 7:45 p.m.) until midnight. It will be visible at the corner of Guy St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., looking north from the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) Building.



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