Countdown to 2°C : Climate Clock Launch & Earth Day Community Fair at Concordia University, Montreal, QC

MONTREAL, April 21, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - If there is anything students and politicians know best, it's deadlines. The most important deadline in Earth's history is upon us; on April 22nd, Earth Day, we are calling the public's attention to the limited time remaining before a catastrophic rise in global temperature. Brought to you by Divest Concordia, Sustainable Concordia, and the Concordia Student Union, the Earth Day Community Fair aims to engage citizens on issues related to climate change, intersectionality, grassroots organizing, and simple institutional tools - like divestment - that can empower communities to mitigate the impacts of inherently unsustainable institutions.

Featured will be a street-level projection of the Countdown to 2° Climate Clock created by Dr. H. Damon Mathews and researchers at Concordia,  in collaboration with artist David Usher,  Playmind Creative Studios, and Divest Concordia. The installation serves to highlight the narrow timeframe remaining to halt greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize the global economy before Earth's temperature rises by 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Climate science warns us that this will cause irreversible damage to our ecosystems and to human health and security.

"Institutions of higher learning should be at the forefront of environmentally-responsible policy, which begins with divesting their financial holdings from fossil fuel industries. The Climate Clock is an urgent reminder that the time to act is now" says Isabelle Harned, spokesperson for Divest Concordia.

The Climate Clock was launched downtown, at Concordia University, and will remain projected nightly on a south facing wall on De Maisonneuve Blvd. until April 23rd. The Earth Day Community Fair will be held on Friday, April 22nd, in front of 1500 De Maisonneuve Blvd W., and welcomes Montrealers to enjoy live music, free food, art-making, interactive workshops, and educational booths.

SOURCE Concordia Student Union

Image with caption: "Countdown to 2°C : Climate Clock Launch & Earth Day Community Fair at Concordia University, Montreal, QC (CNW Group/Concordia Student Union)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160421_C6323_PHOTO_EN_672266.jpg

Anastasia Voutou, 514-848-7474