Climate change 'deadline' crosses ominous threshold as activists warn world is nearly out of time

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The Climate Clock, an online tool and algorithm designed to calculate humanity's deadline for reducing global warming, fell below seven years Friday.

The clock, which was developed in 2020 to give a sense of urgency to world leaders, fell from seven years to six years and 364 days, according to algorithm. The tool shows how much time is left to limit global warming to just 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"The clock is a portable scientific instrument," Climate Clock co-founder Andrew Boyd told Fox News Digital. "It reduces a lot of complexity into a simple, clear message and mission: We need to transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy, and we have seven years to do it."

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"With climate change, winning slowly is the same as losing," Boyd continued. "The Climate Clock shows that we have a deadline. That is our best window to avert climate catastrophe. The next seven years are our best shot."

Roughly 13% of energy production worldwide is sourced from renewables like solar and wind, according to the Climate Clock.

An environmental activist with the group Extinction Rebellion DC scales a building on April 22, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) ((Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))

Friday marks the first official "Climate Emergency Day" when the Climate Clock counts down from seven years to six years, Gan Golan, another Climate Clock co-founder, told Fox News Digital. He added that people worldwide will observe a moment of silence to "mark the moment."

"The planet, and everyone on it, is under threat," Golan said. "Climate change is not happening in the future, it is happening here and now."

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Human activity is believed to have already caused between 0.8-1.2 degrees Celsius of warming, according to a recent report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report warned that climate-related risks for natural and human systems will increase substantially if warming isn't stabilized.

Meanwhile, Western governments have attempted to push an aggressive green transition away from fossil fuels in recent years, but have faced recent pushback amid a global energy crisis which has led to higher consumer prices worldwide. While European governments have starting boosting coal dependence during the crisis, the U.S. government has struggled to approve climate legislation activists say is necessary to achieving net-zero emissions.

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Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced his opposition to major climate bill Democrats and President Biden have advocated for. The West Virginia Democrat pointed to high prices and inflation when explaining his position.

Boyd and Golan both criticized Manchin, though, arguing he was beholden to fossil fuel interests.

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"[Manchin] has personally made over $5.2 million in profits from coal, and has also taken hundreds of thousands in campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry," Golan told Fox News Digital. "He’s made it perfectly clear to Americans that those personal profits mean more to him than our children’s future."

"The public overwhelmingly wants greater action by our government," Boyd added. "But our government is being held back from doing its job to protect our lives and our families. It is being delayed by a minority of our politicians who are being paid off by fossil fuel corporations."