Global warming continues today, and its potentially catastrophic effects include melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and the extinction of species. The cause of these changes is greenhouse gas emissions, which the United Nations has recommended lowering by 7.6% every year until 2030. While emissions fell by 6.4% in 2020 due to the pandemic’s lockdown, that decrease is not expected to continue, which could have dangerous consequences for the planet.

To raise public support for Paris’ goal and to help the Earth avoid the worst-case scenarios of climate change, Richard Sheiner MD, the administrator for Fridays for Future Montreal, is asking individuals and families to join the campaign “15 Minutes for the Planet – the 7.6 Campaign, which is being shared with Fridays for Future chapters around the world. Its first event will be on Earth Day, April 22. 

To join the campaign, individuals and families are asked to do this:

• 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. We also have an Earth Life Pledge that calls on individuals to commit to specific, measurable actions in an effort to support the Paris Climate Accord. ”

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, he was trained as a family therapist during his psychiatric residency at McGill University in Montreal. Dr. Sheiner is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It was through helping others deal with childhood trauma that he first became interested in the field of global health. 

He believes that we need to see the climate crisis as a global family crisis. He states that in family therapy when we are missing family members, it’s difficult to have a successful outcome. In the same way, he believes that we need to involve more individuals and families that are part of our global family to solve the climate crisis. 

The planet needs us. We cannot allow emissions to continue unabated. This Earth Day will be the start of a new movement that will continue every Friday until the Paris Climate Accord’s goal is met. We must do our part to save our planet’s incredible biodiversity.

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].