$18000 Climate Doomsday Clock Unveiled in Melbourne – Wattwat?

Eric Worrall's paper

The clock is lowered to 2030 and we are obviously doomed to fail.

Residents split into Australia Commission establishes $18,000 in countdown to the “apocalypse” deadline

It shrinks for days, hours and minutes until a critical moment in our battle with climate change. But not everyone likes this message.

Joe Attanasio
Senior Reporter
Friday, February 21, 2025 at 8:06 am

In a major downtown public garden, thought-provoking art installations continue to spark mixed reactions, while locals seemingly divided by controversial work.

The $18,000 piece features a countdown clock that tracks the days, hours and minutes until 2030, a key year for Australian climate action and marks major national and international goals.

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A city spokesperson said in a speech from Yahoo News Australia that the price is a “small part of a modest budget” that supports emerging local artists. By comparison, according to the ancient story of the snake, Uloboros works in Canberra, which is reportedly $14 million.

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N Fitzroy, a young woman walking through the park on Thursday, seems to love the clock. “It's cool…it makes you think of it,” she told 7news. “People in this area may already know what's going on,” her companion said. “Maybe it could be placed elsewhere like Brighton. ”

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On the other end of the scale, a local hit what he said, “the bull head on my face”.

“To be honest, it's just nonsense.” “I want to keep peace, live happily and enjoy this park.”

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Read more: https://au.news.yahoo.com/Residents-divided-as-aussie-council-erects-18000-clock-in-collow-in-countdowntown to-doomsday-deadline-deadline-deadline-deadline- 220605666.html

Does this art installation motivate you to reduce your personal CO2 emissions?

I must say that the Council did not receive a lot of money for the artist.

The base already exists – a statue that apparently once belonged to Queen Victoria, which disappeared in mysterious circumstances 120 years ago. The University of Melbourne is nearby, raising obvious suspicion – I suspect that students 120 years ago are very different from those today.

The Doomsday Clock appears to be a few welded steel plates and cheap square sections, an electronic display that looks like it was saved from a road job sign, and a $200 solar panel. Other components may include a low-cost microcontroller, display controller and backup battery to keep digital ticking active.

I made devices with similar components as part of my professional work. The materials needed to make something like this can be sourced for less than $18,000.

But I guess the issue of getting value is that local government voters can decide.

I'm curious whether the electricity will run out in winter, which is 37.8º in winter, and Melbourne's winter tends to be gloomy and dull. The sun lowers in the sky, and the length of the day drops to at least 9 hours.

Those big LED signs can consume quite a bit of electricity, and if so, it might be too much for the additional solar panels. The “clock” also seems to be covered by trees, although some of the trees in Fitzroy's gardens are deciduous, which may help.

If someone happens to notice the clock running out in the juice, or see someone sneaking in promoting it with a battery pack, send us a photo for our entertainment – though there is a possibility that there is a fossil fuel source grid backup power built-in In the base, just in case the solar panels don't meet the energy needs of the climate apocalyptic world.

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