"The Climate Clock's Countdown: Can Regenerative Agriculture Really Save Us?"

Fig source: https://climateclock.world/loss-and-damage

 Heat waves, forest fires, droughts and massive floods caused by climate change have become daily headlines, forcing 26 million people into poverty each year. According to researchers at the Centre for Global Development, by 2019 the G20 countries had accumulated $29.7 trillion in climate debt, most of it owed to the "developing" countries.

With just 5 years left on the Climate Clock to stay under the critical threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, transforming the global food system is a key climate solution. Specifically, scaling up regenerative agriculture practices is essential. Currently, 1,013,455 hectares of land are cultivated under regenerative practices, as certified by our Lifeline partner Regenagri. This new lifeline tracks the global land area adhering to regenerative agriculture practices, emphasizing the urgent need for change.

The Need for Change

Agriculture is vital to our existence but also contributes significantly to global emissions, ranging from 18% to 21%. Alarmingly, 52% of agricultural soil is degraded, posing a dual threat of famine and the release of 850 billion tonnes of CO2e into the atmosphere. If current land degradation trends continue, crop yields could fall by 10% globally and up to 50% in certain regions by 2050.

To curb global warming, halt biodiversity loss, address food access inequalities, and ensure enough quality soil to feed the world, the global agricultural sector must increase food production by 60-70% while regenerating soil on over 1.6 billion hectares of farmland. Without fundamental reform, the current global food system cannot sufficiently improve soil health, ensure food and livelihood security, or adapt to and mitigate climate change.

The Pathway Forward

Rapidly scaling up regenerative agriculture is a key pathway for transforming the global food system. For more than 20 years, the Metronome, a 62-foot-wide, 15-digit electronic clock facing Union Square in Manhattan, has been a prominent public art project. Initially, its digital display counted time in unique ways, often baffling observers. Now, it has adopted a new ecologically sensitive mission. Instead of measuring 24-hour cycles, it measures the critical window for action to prevent the irreversible effects of global warming.

On a Saturday at 3:20 p.m., messages like “The Earth has a deadline” appeared on the display, followed by numbers representing the years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds until that deadline. Based on calculations by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin, the clock ticks down, second by second, reminding us of the urgent need for climate action.

Take Action Now

Find out how you can use this lifeline to advance your climate action today. Embrace and promote regenerative agriculture to secure our planet's future