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AS TRUMP DENIES AND DELAYS, THE WORLD RACES TO MEET THE CLIMATE CLOCK
DEADLINE  
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Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd
July 22, 2026
Common Dreams
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_ It may sound like all is lost. On the contrary: Solutions abound,
and there are many reasons for hope. _

The Climate Clock ticks down in Union Square, New York. , (Photo by
Climate Clock)

 

On July 22, the Climate Clock
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numbers Greta Thunberg
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and other climate champions have for years used to demand urgent
action—will drop below three years for the first time, signaling a
rapidly shrinking window to avert worsening Climate Catastrophe by
preventing global warming
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1.5°C. We will pass this critical climate red line before the next
FIFA World Cup in 2030 and by the time this year’s cohort of
undergraduate students earn their degree. This is not doomerism. This
is simply what the world’s best science
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clearly and accurately, for nearly a decade.

It may sound like all is lost. On the contrary: Solutions abound, and
there are many reasons for hope. But first we need to understand where
we are and how we got here.

The anti-progress, self-sabotaging direction of the current US
administration has now all but assured that the planet will blow past
this critical global deadline in three years, setting the world on a
dangerous track toward increased chaos and disruption, from extreme
heatwaves
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to increased devastation by floods
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to collapsing food systems
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President Donald Trump [[link removed]]
has not done this alone. Under Trump, the federal government has acted
as a direct appendage
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of the Fossil Fuel industry
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profits at all costs while sabotaging the most viable climate
solutions and undermining any sustainable alternatives to oil
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This administration has ended clean energy tax credits, terminated
emission standards for cars and trucks, and eliminated the scientific
and legal foundation for federal greenhouse gas regulations by
revoking the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas
Endangerment Finding. With a special spite
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Trump has also forced
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money-losing coal plants to continue operating while cancelling
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perfectly good already 80% complete offshore wind projects.

And once again the world finds itself embroiled in yet another “War
for Oil,” this time over the Strait of Hormuz with a running price
tag of over $100 billion. The economic, social, and ecological costs
of fossil fuels [[link removed]] have
become so great, that some have likened it to “Energy From Hell
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Despite these frightening realities, there is a surprising amount of
good news. While the US stumbles backward, the rest of the world races
forward.

The pace of China’s renewable energy
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staggering. China reached its 2030 wind and solar targets six years
ahead of schedule. China installs 3 gigawatts of solar power
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builds the rough equivalent of a large coal-fired power plant worth of
renewable energy every eight hours. Renewables now account for over
60%
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of China’s total power generating capacity. Climate activist and
author Bill McKibben [[link removed]]
describes China as the “Costco of energy”—its massive production
of solar panels is one of the key drivers of the global solar
revolution. In the race toward renewables, China is now kicking the
United States [[link removed]] butt
outright, having installed five times the capacity of the US.

Riding the global glut of cheap Chinese solar panels, Pakistan
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fastest grassroots energy transitions in the world. In over just two
years, ordinary citizens independently installed an estimated 27
gigawatts of solar capacity. This consumer-led boom made solar the
nation’s largest single source of electricity.

India’s renewable energy sector is the world’s third largest, with
non-fossil sources exceeding 51% of the country’s total installed
capacity, hitting its 2030 targets five years ahead of schedule.
Powered by offshore wind, Denmark
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green transition, now sourcing roughly 88% of its net electricity from
renewables, and aiming for 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Uruguay
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its electricity from renewable sources
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This massive transition slashed production costs by half, created
50,000 jobs, and allows the country to export surplus clean energy to
Argentina and Brazil [[link removed]]. Even
the Vatican is getting in on the action, driving forward hard on an
ambitious initiative to make Vatican City the world’s first
carbon-neutral state
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And in spite of Trump’s efforts to undermine it, the USA’s
transition to renewables rolls forward. This May, for the first time
in the USA, solar power generated more electricity than coal. A huge
milestone.
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Despite the reduction in federal subsidies, demand by US consumers for
renewable energy continues unabated, simply because it’s the most
affordable option.

Over the last decade, solar energy has become 10 times cheaper,
onshore wind three times cheaper. Renewable energy is now the cheapest
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source of new power in most markets. Falling prices mean renewables
accounted for over 90%
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of total worldwide new electricity-generating capacity added, pushing
renewables to account for roughly one-third of global power. In 2024
alone, global power generation from renewable sources saved US$467
billion
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in avoided fossil fuel costs.

If it wasn’t for the relentless deluge of Climate Denialism and
anti-science rhetoric muddying our public discourse (much of it paid
for by the Fossil Fuel industry
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these incredible human achievements in the face of catastrophe would
be sources of great national and international pride, akin to World
Cup victories.

Just this spring, frustrated by the United Nation’s COP process that
year after year has been undermined by petro states and fossil fuel
lobbyists, 50 governments, including Colombia and the Netherlands (the
birthplace of oil giant Shell
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Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. This “coalition
of the willing” charted out concrete next steps to accelerate the
global transition to renewables.

The renewables revolution being pursued across the globe is delivering
real results. The most real result: Newsflash! we’re not going to go
extinct!

Recently, scientists have determined
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that the most dreaded, worst-case scenario of a 4.5°C-plus global
temperature increase is now, thankfully, off the table. Thanks to the
combined efforts of governments, activists, scientists, engineers, and
consumers, we have—for now—slowed the runaway climate train from
crashing at full velocity into a horrific future. This is a massive
success story of the global climate movement that has gotten far fewer
headlines than it deserves.

Perhaps the part of this global crisis that future generations may
have the hardest time understanding is how clear and doable the
climate solutions we need
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are. While the rapid transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy
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is the foundation, other solutions reinforce the gains: Gender Parity
in government
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(aka more women in leadership) delivers better, measurable pro-climate
outcomes, while protecting 30% of our land by the year 2030
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would maintain critical global biodiversity
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impacts.

The Clock also tracks the dollar cost of inaction
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currently $32 trillion! Yes, that’s right. According to an extensive
recent study from the journal Nature, acting now to mitigate climate
change [[link removed]] would
potentially prevent $32 trillion in damages by 2050. Meanwhile a new
analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence reports that the US spends nearly
$1T per year on climate damages
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exceeding 3% of US GDP.

The Climate Clock has been doing it’s part to hasten progress,
branching out from our monumental time keeper in New York City’s
Union Square to dozens of countries, putting handheld clocks in the
hands of hundreds of climate activists across the world to pressure
leaders to take action. Climate champions from presidents to TV
meteorologists
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have now used the clock to push for urgent implementation of the
solutions.

The threats are very real and time is of the essence. But the
solutions available to us are vast and achievable.

All these solutions are displayed on the Clock in real time, tracking
our forward progress as the deadline counts down. The Climate Clock
was never an “End of The World” clock, but a “How to Save The
World” clock.

To paraphrase an old saying: “The best time to avert climate
disaster was 10 years ago. The second best time is now.” Every
fraction of a degree counts. It’s never too late to fight for people
and the planet. Even as the Clock ticks toward zero, we must—and
can—act in time.

_Gan Golan is an activist, illustrator, New York Times bestselling
author, and co-creator of 1/6: The Graphic Novel.  Andrew Boyd is a
co-founder of Beautiful Trouble and Climate Clock and the author of I
Want a Better Catastrophe._

* Climate Change
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* renewable power
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* Trump
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* Climate Deniers
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* Fossil Fuel
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