Time for action on climate threats

Another week, another climate change warning. Expert reports on global warming and the dire consequences of failing to act have been arriving with such regularity in recent decades that they’ve become almost like background noise.

But this week’s UN study on the necessity of limiting rising temperatures is difficult to ignore and the response from all quarters makes it clear we’ve reached a point where few issues are more pressing.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says unprecedented efforts are needed to save lives.

Unless action is taken to peg global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the world faces destruction of habitats, widespread starvation and the loss of some island nations. Most of us are aware of the steps we can take to limit our impact on the environment – whether it is reducing the amount of meat in our diet or being extra fastidious with the household recycling.

But a climate crisis will not be solved by the the odd salad or a few more trips to the bottle bank.

Scientists are agreed that ambitious policy changes are required at government level, from phasing out coal and expanding renewable energy to sending more support to communities which are already being impacted.

They may not be popular and it will take strong political leadership but the alarm bells are tolling at a level that we can no longer afford to ignore.