Planet B

(on Sustainable Development Goals)

How long do we have to wait until we realize that there is no Planet B and the Earth is the only place we can live in? How many disasters do we need to encounter until we realize that our Mother Earth needs saving?

Last Sep 21, 2020, the Climate Clock that counts down the time remaining for people to act on global warming was installed in Manhattan’s Union Square. It shows us that we only have 7 years, 101 days, 17 hours, 29 minutes, and 22 seconds until the irreversible climate emergency changes human existence. If we don’t act now, the world will continue to experience extreme heat waves, a much severe flooding, crazy wildfires, droughts, and famine, among other disasters. On the other hand, the Climate Clock’s second figure shows a sliver of hope on what is labeled “lifeline” which is the amount of energy supplied from renewable sources.

According to artists Golan and Boyd, who made the symbolic timepiece possible, the Climate Clock sends us a message that the planet has a deadline, but we can turn it into a lifeline; that we still have time but we cannot waste it. We need to understand that we have to act swiftly because if we continue to be ignorant and destroy our planet, mother nature will get back to us and we are the ones who will definitely suffer.

The Climate Clock made me reflect on my own environmental footprint and how little time I have left to help create change. When I was a kid, I used to count the days until the month of April and May, because then I knew it will be summer and we can go to beaches to have fun under the heat. When summer ends and classes start in June, I also get excited to play outside, under the pouring rain with my playmates, because it’s rainy season. Nowadays, you can no longer know when the summer season will end. We experience summer as early as February until August and we have extreme floods in the middle of summer season. Conversely, we experience heatwaves in the rainy season. You can’t even predict the mood of the weather in a day. There will be nice sunny morning and heavy rainfall in the afternoon.

The Climate Clock made me realize that although the Philippines, along with other countries, have a different time zone from New York, we all have the same timeline. We need to come together to create change. But before our global unity, the change should come within us first. Oftentimes, we blame climate change for the disasters we experience. If you think of it though, our planet should be the one to blame us for interfering with nature because there is a huge impact on every small action we make. Flash floods start from not disposing a small piece of candy wrapper properly or using non-disposable food containers/utensils. Air pollution starts from the frequent use of hairspray/aerosols or just being too lazy to walk a short distance and driving a car instead. Wildfires start from throwing a cigarette butt in a bush or barbecuing with friends in a campfire site. These simple acts may seem harmless to us but altogether it can be a matter of life and death.

The pandemic may have killed thousands of people, but it has helped slowly heal our mother nature. After the global health crisis, I know for sure that we will go back to our old lifestyle, riding the airplanes which produce greenhouse gases, going to beaches and throwing trashes in the ocean, as well as going to campfires and leaving our cigarette butts behind. We have to stop doing these and start changing now. Even the small act of using sustainable products can make a huge difference. After all, there is no planet B and the Earth is the only place we can live in.