Climate alert

Europe is being scorched this summer. The heatwave has had dire consequences for many people as temperatures have climbed into the 40s. Those deaths should remind us that climate chaos is the biggest threat that we face, dwarfing all other political wrangles. Climatologists have been warning us for years that if we do not drastically reduce our CO2 emissions then planet Earth will heat up, weather patterns will be destabilised and present extreme events – heatwaves, hurricanes and floods – will strike with increasing frequency.

To its credit, the UK has taken great steps to reduce emissions – coal-fired power stations have been closed, thousands of wind turbines have been installed and a new nuclear power station is being built at Hinkley Point C. The UK Government provides financial inducements to switch to electric vehicles. These measures have cost the UK a lot and have driven up the price of electricity. But they show that the UK takes its responsibilities seriously.

What then are we to make of Germany’s decision to open a new coal-fired power station – one which burns lignite, the dirtiest coal for emissions? Their emissions

have increased dramatically, thereby negating much of the costly efforts that the UK has made. Why has the EU in its role as environmental watchdog done nothing about this? Where are the mass protests to voice outrage at this blatant crime against climate safety? Our news media seem to be so obsessed with Brexit speculations that they do not bother with a real disaster right in front of them.

LES REID Morton Street, Edinburgh