“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”
According to ERA5 data from the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service, the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and the month is on track to be the hottest July and the hottest month on record.
In the face of “tragic” consequences, he repeated his call for swift and far-reaching action, taking aim once again at the fossil fuel sector.
“The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable,” said Guterres, Portugal’s former prime minister.
We need a global initiative to immediately reduce fossil fuel consumption ASAP. Stop commuting in cars. Stop flying. Stop shipping stuff all over the place to exploit cheap labor. Strengthen energy standards for construction and radically improve urban planning to increase pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Massive investment in public transit systems to improve quality and coverage. There needs to be radical and urgent change in the way the western world lives. The west has the money and means to lead by example. Carbon caps and trade. Soon enough climate change will dominate every aspect of civic discussion. This is a civic leadership responsibility and we need civic leaders who are committed to enacting solutions - or at minimum support improving policy to reduce fossil fuel consumption and reduce all contributing emissions as a matter of emergency. Support local activism and demand action from all civic leaders.