Our changing climate poses an existential threat to much of life on earth, and yet it remains the elephant in the room. Perhaps this is because this growing threat arises from gradual, albeit accelerating, rates of change. Wars, and political battles, present more immediate threats and, because they have been happening for so long, seem more manageable.
David Spratt and Ian Dunlop lay out once again the enormous environmental challenges we are facing. The forecasts that they report are daunting; climate scientists are seeing existential risks appearing earlier than they had expected. The overall temperature rises we face within the foreseeable future are ever increasing, and yet most governments still tread too lightly, seeking to restrain fossil fuel use rather than extinguish it.
Thirty years ago governments could, and should, have taken measured action to transition the world to sustainable energy. But then, and since, most have done too little, or ignored the problem altogether. For every day that passes with no or inadequate government response the existential threat becomes bigger. The elephant is trumpeting loudly now but still too few are listening. This elephant is calling humanity to the same fate as the dinosaur.