Since 2015, the Human Impact Lab at Concordia University has tracked global temperatures, carbon levels and time to accurately predict how many years humanity has to fix the climate crisis before fatal climate change is inevitable. 

Only four and a half years remain on the Climate Clock as of January 2025.

According to the United Nations, “Climate change refers to the long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns.”

Climate change refers to a “shift” in either direction, whether warmer or colder, of the Earth’s atmospheric temperature. These changes may be small, but they can completely mess up the inner workings of an ecosystem.

Throughout January, extreme natural disasters have been plaguing both the East and West Coast of America. In Los Angeles, destructive wildfires have broken out all around the area, ravaging over 40,000 acres and 12,300 structures in its path despite the typical fire season being from May to October. 27 people have been killed in the fires and 180,000 have been evacuated. These fires were a perfect storm of raised temperatures and dry winds: two components that are outcomes of climate change. 

Across the country, Southern and Eastern communities are buried in snow . The region was hit with catastrophic hurricanes and tropical storms back in September 2024, which took hundreds of lives in its path. As of January, 12 million people are under a freeze warning, many of whom are still recovering from the hurricanes last year. 

The climate crisis has been one of humanity’s biggest problems in the modern era, as well as one of the most ignored. Big corporations and everyday citizens alike benefit from what’s killing Earth the most: fossil fuels. The reliance the world has on fossil fuels in addition to the profit made from them has led to oil companies and many world leaders to turn a blind eye to the damage nonrenewable energy sources do to the environment. 

According to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, fossil fuels are “compound mixtures made of fossilized plant and animal remnants from millions of years ago.” 

These compounds are extracted through drilling to provide the world with the most commonly used energy source. When fossil fuels are burned, they can power machinery, electricity and transportation. 

America has been one of the biggest contributors to emissions since 1850, and it has seemed like that there was no sign of slowing down. However, in the last stretch of Joe Biden’s presidency, he passed a ban on offshore drilling in domestic waters on Jan. 6, 2025. 

Oil drilling is a costly and unsafe procedure that extracts fossil fuels from beneath Earth’s surface. Oil rigs drill past Earth’s crust and create a well that pumps out petroleum. 96 million barrels of fuel are used every day internationally, adding up to an outstanding 35 billion barrels annually. To keep up with the high demand, the onland rigs have spread into the ocean. 

The oil extracted from Earth’s crust after drilling is then burned by the population, releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere and directly adding to climate change.

While the energy source is prominent and reliable, it also is contributing the most to climate change. The burning of fossil fuels contributes to over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of carbon emissions . The gases and carbon emitted are subsequently trapped in a blanket effect by Earth’s atmospheres. 

Sage Creek High School’s marine science teacher, Courtney Goode, believes the damage oil drilling can cause outweighs the temporary benefits it brings. 

“The risk of oil spills happening is far too high both by transporting oil by ship and by drilling for it in the ocean floor,” said Goode. “When the BP oil spill happened, we saw that oil spills affect all layers of the ocean, not just the surface.”

On April 20, 2010, a British Petroleum (BP) oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded killing 11 workers and covering 1100-1300 meters of the ocean in depth. The cleanup procedure took over a decade before the coast was returned to normal. 

 “Many animals ingest the oil which of course is toxic and if not being ingested, the oil coats their feathers, hair, fur, etc.,” said Goode. “If animals themselves are not affected, their habitat is.”

Secretary of Oceanic Club and junior at Sage Creek, Kalia Caetano, worries about the reality for marine life under the sea. 

“It raises ocean temperatures, which is not only harmful for marine life but it also causes coral bleaching,” Caetano said of climate change. “Coral reefs are home to many marine animals and when they die, this home goes away.”   

The risk of destroying biodiversity’s delicate harmony is far too high of a price for convenience, especially when there is climate-conscious energy available. Biden’s ban will hopefully help wean America off of fossil fuels.

“I am hoping that with less supply, this forces more and more advancement and incorporation of renewable resources such as wind, solar and water,” Goode said. 

Biden’s ban has cemented his historical climate legacy as President Donald Trump, who has denied climate change in the past, is sworn into office. The ban will protect 250 million acres of sacred ocean ecosystems off the shores of the Pacific and Atlantic, and the bill cannot be undone without Congressional action. 

Although oil drilling has left its mark on the welfare of the environment, it is not the only culprit. According to Ethical Consumer, fast fashion is “low-quality apparel produced rapidly to follow current trends in the industry and sold at rock-bottom prices.”

Overconsumption in the fashion industry has skyrocketed over the past 20 years and is now responsible for 10% of total emissions. These numbers are only going to go up with predictions of a 60% increase by 2030. 

In fact, University of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Innovations Initiative  found that “the industry generates more CO2 emissions than aviation and shipping combined.” 

Factories producing these garments are far from sustainable. They rely on the burning of fossil fuels, utilize toxic chemicals and waste thousands of gallons of water. The cheap nature of the industry results in a process that cuts the corners of ethical production. 

The outward pressure to keep up with every fashionable item on social media builds, meanwhile more and more is consumed without a second thought. But what happens to the abandoned trends once something else takes its place? 

They end up in landfills. 

A shocking 92 million tons of garments are discarded every year out of the 100 billion produced. So many resources and chemicals are bored into the creation process just to be wasted in a few months. 

Abigail Taxer, a junior at Sage Creek with a style social media presence, notes the ethical nuances for consumers. 

“I obviously think fast fashion is a major issue especially for the environment, but I also think it’s important to blame the actual companies and people promoting those brands and not the people who buy from there that maybe can’t afford how expensive clothes are nowadays,” said Taxer. 

However, there are affordable ways to consume more sustainably such as thrift stores and second-hand shops that provide a new life to discarded clothes. There are also brands such as Patagonia and Reformation that produce fashion consciously, but the prices of companies like these are often expensive. 

“Thrifting can be a fun activity with friends, and it feels good to know you’re contributing to a healthier environment,” Taxer said. 

Alternatives to wasteful consumption are everywhere and don’t have to break the bank. Finding a way to lessen your consumption and climate impact is vital to humanity’s survival. Billionaire or teenager, there are ways to help mitigate the climate crisis. Every person has the ability and moral responsibility to make a difference. 

“Using other modes of transportation besides cars, or turning off lights when they are not in use to conserve energy are great ways to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Caetano. “By adopting small practices like these, we can start to live a more sustainable life.” 

There might be a timer ticking down to humanity’s ruin, but there are so many different resources and ways to turn back the clock before it’s too late.