AN argument made in a recent edition of The Economist states that since people are now slowly but very strongly feeling the real effects of climate change, those politicians who have been downplaying it may find it difficult to maintain their credibility. Indeed, people are going to listen to and choose leaders who are dealing with climate disasters.
Weak climate policies are not going to appeal to the masses, especially now that we are all in the middle of a pressing problem. Australia’s politicians have downplayed the risks partly in the interest of trade and exports. Naturally extracted materials, like coal and iron, make up 70 percent of their country’s exports, particularly to China. Here at home, politicians who tend to protect business interests over environment preservation may soon find themselves in a difficult position.
We often wonder why many leaders are not dealing with it as it is: a crisis. Aside from the business agenda, it is also possible that some have not totally grasped the issue and the risks. In many places around the world, governments are showing an appalling lack of climate leadership, not realizing that the present is, indeed, the key to the future.
Apart from burning forests, climate change also brings with it the possibility of stronger storms, worsening seasonal allergies (we have noticed it here!), extreme heat and drought, water shortage and many other dire effects. The old ways of containing and assessing these disasters are not applicable anymore, as we have seen in Australia. Resiliency then becomes the buzzword, the key to adaptation and survival. Efforts must go toward this direction.
Data shows that what is happening in Australia could happen in many other parts of the world that have the same terrain, like the American west coast, the Mediterranean, southern Africa and parts of Central Asia. In 2018, California experienced a deadly forest fire, killing over 80 people. More than a hundred people died in wildfires in Greece in the middle of the 2018 European heat wave. Let’s keep in mind that the politics of the land has much to do with disasters as its terrain and other physical factors.
As we continue to pray for rain in Australia and for the fires to finally be put out, we must keep our own situation in check. Be wary of politicians who don’t have strong climate action plans, keep a watchful eye on agencies, like the Climate Change Commission, and take every opportunity to make our politicians know that we care about climate action. Climate change is real, despite what climate deniers (and those who are prone to inaction) are saying and doing (or not doing).