Martin Siegert has a shocking prediction for the fate of planet Earth if global greenhouse gas emissions are not lowered. The co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London says, “If we keep tracking the worst-case scenario, by the end of this century, levels of CO2 will be 800ppm. We haven’t had that for 55 million years. There was no ice on the planet then, and it was 12C warmer.”
If that alarms you, it should. That level of climate change will result in the extinction of species, the melting of glaciers, and a very different Earth that no one alive has ever seen. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, the United Nations has recommended a 7.6% annual reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions until 2030. While global levels dropped by 6.4% in 2020, we are not on tracking to continuing that progress in 2021.
This Earth Day, you can take a stand for saving our planet by showing your support of Paris’ goal. Individuals and families are being asked to join the campaign “15 Minutes for the Planet – the 7.6 Campaign.” The campaign’s leader, Richard Sheiner MD, is the administrator for Fridays for Future Montreal, which is being shared with Fridays for Future chapters around the world.
To join the campaign, please take these steps:
- Sign the petition addressed to Secretary John Kerry that supports cutting emissions by 7.6% per year this decade. You can also access the petition here.
- Create a sign that says, “1.5 degrees celsius requires 7.6% reduction in global greenhouse gases per year.”
- On Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, stand outside with your sign at 7:00 p.m. for 15 minutes. Advocate with your friends and family for lowering emissions and show your neighbors how crucial these numbers are. Remember to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.
- If you use Instagram, take a picture of your sign and then post it. Use the hashtag #7point6campaign.
The campaign will continue once Earth Day is over. People will be asked to take the 7.6 pledge to show their support for lowering emissions. They will display their signs outside every Friday at 7:00 p.m. for 15 minutes until change happens. They will also keep them in their windows at home for people to see. Students will bring their signs to school on Fridays to share with their classmates, and schools will be able to create educational partnerships with the 7.6 Campaign. Individuals will be strongly encouraged to add in an additional 15 minutes during the day with colleagues at work at either 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. It’s a great way to take a break with colleagues, get outside for a few minutes, and come together on this essential cause. There will be an opportunity for businesses to create a partnership with the 7.6 Campaign as well. High school and college students will also be encouraged to take 15 minutes at either 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and to come out into the street with friends with their signs to demonstrate for the cause.
The campaign will continue to grow in order to reach more people and educate them about global warming. Dr. Sheiner has plans for online educational events and envisions that each week, a global artist will do an environmental song on YouTube so that children and families can sing along. There will also be time for taking action on climate change.
Dr. Sheiner is the founder and president of the Centre for the Promotion of Global Health, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Paris Climate Change Agreement as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. “We want to prevent the rise of global temperatures from exceeding 1.5-degrees centigrade. We still have an opportunity to prevent the worst outcomes of the climate crisis. Our window to avert this disaster is narrowing, and this decade will be crucial to deciding the fate of humanity. We can turn Earth onto a far healthier path, but we must act now. That starts with bringing emissions down every year until 2030, which we are not doing. That is alarming and is the reason for ‘15 Minutes for the Future – the 7.6 Campaign.’”
Dr. Sheiner has been trained internationally in the area of climate science and solutions.
In addition to his background as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Sheiner was trained as a family therapist during his psychiatric residency at McGill University in Montreal.
The climate crisis, he says, is really a global family crisis. He explains that in family therapy, it’s difficult to have a successful outcome when there are missing family members. It is the same with solving the climate crisis. To do so, Dr. Sheiner says, we must involve more individuals and families who are part of our global family.
Every person on the planet faces the same future if global greenhouse emissions are not lowered every year. The work to save our planet must continue so that our world leaders do not forget about the most existential issue facing humans, plants, and animals today.
You can follow the 7point6campaign and receive updates on the Earth Day event at
https://mobile.twitter.com/7point6campaign. To learn how you can be part of the campaign to help to save our world and its flora and fauna, please check out the website for Fridays for Future as well as the website for the Centre for the Promotion of Global Health. You can also email the Centre for the Promotion of Global Health at [email protected].
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