Macroscope | As the world heats up, who will take charge of our survival?

Is the world sleepwalking toward the edge of a cliff when it comes to the climate crisis? This sounds like a question from a banner-carrying activist but the words are taken from the title of a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is frankly scary.

Equally alarming is the fact that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will publish a report at the end of this month that takes into account “tipping points” we may have passed which could make global warming accelerate much faster than expected.

Governments are not keeping pace with the increase in warming. Some are too busy waging war on others or preparing for it – or they cannot afford to pay the bill for battling climate change, while the private sector is telling the public sector it can “follow but not lead” the fight.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the US are joining typhoons in Asia in a swathe of destruction and death, killing hundreds while the loss and damage from these and other disasters is now predicted by experts to reach trillions of dollars in the coming years.

Yet, for all the millions of words that have been spoken and written on the existential issue of global warming, these frightening truths do not seem to have sunk in. They will again be voiced at the UN Cop29 summit, scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22. Whether policymakers will listen and learn remains to be seen.