The title question of a famous 1966 movie about the liberation of Paris from the Nazis is also an apt one to ask about the contemporary Parisian city, given the heat dome that has settled over a wide swath of Europe. As the following report (start at the 12:20 mark) makes clear, many are suffering, except for an American woman, who exults in the opportunity that climate change is offering. A good exemplar of the heedlessness of Americans, isn't she? Or perhaps a testament to their 'can-do' attitude, making lemonade out of the lemons Mother Nature is bringing our way?
While you're at it, be sure to watch the piece on Alaska, which immediately follows the Paris report.
If you crave a more global perspective on the climate crisis, be sure to read this sobering piece by climate science lecturer Tom Matthews.
It's depressing, Lorne. Clearly, the crisis is global. It's getting worse. And we can't find the will to do something about.
ReplyDeleteOur inertia astounds me, Owen.
DeleteIt occurred to me that our government to some extent is supposed to serve as our collective smoke detector. Government's job is to be our social sentinel. We vest in it resources and the authority to identify threats, keep us informed, and deal with these perils.
ReplyDeleteOur government's response? A $30/tonne carbon tax. A sop at best. It doesn't reflect the urgency of our predicament. It doesn't respond to our worsening conditions. It is utterly gestural. If it was a soldier, it would be court-martialled.
The world has been largely betrayed by its political 'leadership', Mound. Of this there can be no doubt.
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