The World Is Hurtling Into Climate Disaster And What Do Our Leaders Give Us? Oilfields & New Runways.

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The hope that followed the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2016 has long gone as the global community has failed utterly to rein in emissions, which – barring a small pandemic-induced blip in 2020 – have headed remorselessly upwards ever since. And there is little sign of this changing anytime soon. Indeed, as global heating has accelerated over the past few years, instead of trying harder, the world is turning its back on measures to tackle the climate crisis.

In the UK, Labour is considering the approval of two major new oilfields in the North Sea – Rosebank and Jackdaw – with both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves reported to be backing the proposals, which would lock in reliance on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables. Alongside this, instead of the government introducing measures to reduce aviation emissions, such as a frequent-flyer levy and the taxing of aviation fuels, a Heathrow expansion has been greenlit and, just last week, a second runway at Gatwick. And having announced plans in March to drop support for net zero by 2050, Kemi Badenoch’s Tories have now also signed up to sucking every last drop of oil and gas out of UK waters.

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The excuse most often provided for turning away from green measures, for expanding fossil fuel production, for ignoring the science, is pragmatism. The idea being that, yes, the climate emergency is serious, but we have to be practical – we have to consider other things too, inevitably ensuring business as usual, protecting the bottom line and keeping consumer capitalism in the fast lane. The fact is that this is dangerous drivel. Pragmatism is only possible when feasible alternatives are available. Where climate breakdown is concerned, there is no alternative. The climate doesn’t recognise pragmatism. We either slash emissions now or we are in deep, deep trouble.

In 2024, the temperature of the planet topped the 1.5C temperature-rise threshold for the first time (since preindustrial times), and according to the UK Met Office, there is a 70% chance that the average temperature rise over the next five years will be above this. A recent report by the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and Exeter University forecasts that a 2C global temperature hike by 2050 would see a 25% collapse in the global economy and 2 billion people dead. This is what the end game of a “pragmatic” climate strategy looks like. We can no longer pretend that we are sleepwalking into climate catastrophe. We are doing it consciously, with our eyes wide open, and hang the consequences. The truth is that on a rapidly heating planet, a pragmatic approach means that we are playing Russian roulette with all six barrels loaded. The only question is just how big a mess we will make when we pull the trigger.

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/30/climate-disaster-oilfields-runways-pragmatism-emissions