Last month, the global temperatures broke all records, 1.35 degrees warmer compared with the averages between 1951-80, with the rise particularly high in the Arctic (see map below, found here)
If this carries on, the global weather patterns this year may be outside what we are familiar with. major sudden changes in weather are bad news for world food production, as well as for storms. I confess to a brief feeling of satisfaction that we may hit a climate emergency just as Trump is having his presidential campaign, but even there I wonder if he might even benefit, as yet again the world conspires against the US. But I cannot pretend things are much better here, where the whole EU debate is based into a power play between two leading politicians and wild guesses about the risks to businesses; the social, legal and environmental protection that has been won in the EU is summarised as "red tape", to be dumped as soon as possible.
How did we get here? Of course, it's complicated. But I do look at the media, the choices they make, and how they affect our world view. We get daily reports of the FTSE100, and the BBC news flagship "Today" has business leaders asked politely about their views of the world. The idea of other viewpoints getting equivalent attention does not seem to compute these days. Also, the presentation of the natural world in the media is becoming more and more trivialised, with celebrities being ferried around the world to stare wide-eyed at the wonders of the world around them. The environment, it seems, is there to serve and glorify us, and the main form of action needed is to see it for yourself while it is still there.
The alarm bells are ringing, loud and clear. But they are drowned out by so many other noises competing for our attention, and we've heard them before and life seems to carry on. Naomi Klein points out that "this (climate change) changes everything", but the rise of an alternative politics will take time. But what we CAN do is talk about how to promote resilience against extreme weather in our homes, our communities, our work.
How did we get here? Of course, it's complicated. But I do look at the media, the choices they make, and how they affect our world view. We get daily reports of the FTSE100, and the BBC news flagship "Today" has business leaders asked politely about their views of the world. The idea of other viewpoints getting equivalent attention does not seem to compute these days. Also, the presentation of the natural world in the media is becoming more and more trivialised, with celebrities being ferried around the world to stare wide-eyed at the wonders of the world around them. The environment, it seems, is there to serve and glorify us, and the main form of action needed is to see it for yourself while it is still there.
The alarm bells are ringing, loud and clear. But they are drowned out by so many other noises competing for our attention, and we've heard them before and life seems to carry on. Naomi Klein points out that "this (climate change) changes everything", but the rise of an alternative politics will take time. But what we CAN do is talk about how to promote resilience against extreme weather in our homes, our communities, our work.
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