King Charles joins London mayor Sadiq Khan at launch of National Climate Clock
King Charles and Mayor have launched a National Climate Clock, which warns there is just six years left for the world to limit global warning. The King activated the clock during the Climate Innovation Forum at the Guildhall in London today, to warn the world it has just six years and 24 days to limit the heating of the earth to 1.5 degrees centigrade. The clock also has a built in Renewable Energy Lifeline, which shows the percent of global energy coming from renewable sources currently sits at 12.5 per cent. This tracks factors including renewable energy sources, land and inland waters managed by Indigenous Peoples, climate debt, monies contributed by countries to the Green Climate Fund, and parity. The clock is the latest in a worldwide project which brings together art, science, technology and grassroots organisation to count down to the critical time window in which the globe must reach zero emissions. The first was launched in New York in September 2020 and has since seen more appear in Seoul and Glasgow to name a few. The Climate Innovation Forum is the flagship event of London Climate Action Week, which brings together 1,500 leaders from government, business, finance, and society to encourage collaboration and innovation to meet climate goals. It is the fifth year that the event has been run. King Charles has long been an advocate for sustainability, using his time as Prince of Wales to champion causes which practice sustainability and green energy, and to warn of the dangers of climate change. Earlier this week, stars such as Olivia Coleman and Woody Harrelson were among well-known faces focussing on climate change RE:TV was founded in 2020 by Charles and has since made more than 100 short films about sustainable solutions to help the environment. During his time as Prince of Wales, Charles made numerous speeches about the environment, beginning in February 1970 when he highlighted conservation issues. At the age of 21, Charles delivered his first impassioned speech about his personal concern over oil pollution and single-use plastic. He also told how, as a teenager in the 1960s, he was concerned about the destruction of trees, wetlands and habitats as well as 'the white heat of progress and technology to the exclusion of nature and our surroundings'. In his 1970 address, Charles highlighted a problem that has become an illustration of humanity's threat to nature. Then he had said: 'When you think that each person produces roughly 2lb of rubbish per day and there are 55 million of us on this island using non-returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it is not difficult to imagine the mountains of refuse that we shall have to deal with somehow.'