Opinion piece. Romford Recorder August 2025
If, like me, you’re lucky enough to have a garden then the impact of climate change is probably all too obvious. Plants that once thrived now struggle to survive. Why aren’t more of us scared by the mounting evidence of a climate and nature catastrophe?
Perhaps we are inured to spiralling floods, fires and storms; to food price hikes caused by crop failures; to rocketing insurance as risks caused by extreme conditions multiply. Man made climate change is no longer just a prediction – the chickens have come home to roost.
Of course, some scoff. There’s always been climate change, they say. True, but evidence shows overwhelmingly that human activity, in particular burning fossil fuels, has become a key driver.
Then there is the ‘China’ argument. Why should Britain cut back on oil, coal and gas when China isn’t? This is wrong on so many levels. Pushing for net zero is in the national interest, and of all our futures.
A piece in the financial pages of the Telegraph shows this is not a simple left/right issue (‘Trump has dropped a big, beautiful bomb on America’s economy’ 3 July). It excoriates Trump for rolling back the green agenda. It describes how China has fully embraced the non-carbon future and is now the world leader in electrification. I had solar panels fitted last year. They’ve been brilliant, and they were of course made in China.
There is only so much we can do individually. It’s unfair to lampoon people who talk green but fall short on leading a perfect green life. You might as well chastise fish for swimming in water. We are all immersed in a world hooked on carbon for food production, transport, heating and so on. Extricating ourselves is a huge challenge. One thing we can do is campaign for structural change. Humanist Climate Action is one of many groups who joined the mass lobby of Parliament in July.
Inurement is one explanation for lack of panic. Another is humankind’s evolved ability to avoid uncomfortable truths. We can be optimistic against all odds. It helps when deciding to bring children into this world. Our brains are also good at compartmentalising, for example stowing thoughts about our burning world while booking a long-haul flight. Let’s hope our capacity to reason and cooperate prevails to tackle this global emergency.
Paul Kaufman
Chairperson, East London Humanists
