Opinion | World must be on a war footing to fight deadly climate emergency
- With winter in the Southern hemisphere now hotter than summer in the North and the Antarctic up to 40 degrees warmer, the time to act is now
- Like in a major war, climate change is bringing immense death and destruction; it’s time to put the world economy on a war footing to save our habitat
I recently read an article on an Australian newsfeed about what has been happening in South America. It not only took my breath away; as a scientist, I felt a mixture of incredulity, fear, anger and despondency that reached the pit of my stomach.
It is midwinter in the Southern hemisphere but climate scientists are aghast at the temperatures just recorded across vast swathes of Chile and Argentina. These are 10 to 20 degrees Celsius warmer than normal, and thought virtually impossible for this time of year.
This is so far from normal that if we don’t take notice now and act, then when will we?
More members of the public are now sitting up and paying attention. All mainstream media must become part of the solution and publicise these events objectively and broadly.
