Anne says: “The facts are these— global warming created by humans is happening with the Earth getting hotter year on year. The science is black and white, and the politics are irrelevant. David Attenborough noted we are a planet on the verge of climate catastrophe and can no longer prevaricate or delay decisions. Change has to be made not by appealing to optimism but by highlighting it as a life or death decision.

“The outcomes of this are very clear. Politicians care too much about securing votes and staying in power rather than ensuring we implement changes required to stop a future climate catastrophe. Each year governments raise the all familiar ‘climate targets’ with thinking that is weak and complacent, and that falls into the ‘it will do for now’ bucket. To limit warming to no more than 2°C, countries like the UK, Australia and the US need to start reducing emissions substantially to meet this target.

“Another decade of inaction by governments around the world poses enormous risks for us now and for generations to come. Denying the truth is dangerous. In recent times we have seen how the bushfires ravaging Australia have pumped millions of tonnes of CO2 into the global atmosphere. The catastrophic emissions wiped whole towns off the map, left several people dead, damaged the health of millions more through smoke inhalation and resulted in one billion animals suffering unimaginably painful deaths. 

“With governments falling asleep at the wheel, it’s down to each individual and each corporation, large and small, to do the right thing. Change your thinking and change your life and planet-threatening environmental habits. Big business will need to be bold. Decisions should be made not just for monetary gain but guided by the moral compass of what is right for all society now and for the future. Every one of us has work to do to improve our impact on this planet, myself included. The time is now.”