source : the age
Record-breaking wildfires across France, Spain and Canada, intense storms in Chile and heatwaves across North Africa and Japan prompted the United Nations’ Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, to issue a warning last month that “the climate alarm is blaring from every direction”. Stiell highlighted the frequency, intensity and costliness of protracted heatwaves, severe floods and violent mega-storms, saying in a statement that the need for action was clear. In Australia, we are no strangers to extreme weather events. Our lead story today explores the question of how we are responding to this, arguing that while mitigation efforts must not cease, it’s time to look at our strategies around “adaptation” – that is, how we are preparing to live in a hotter, more extreme world. It’s a story that is sure to spark some robust conversations about this pressing problem facing our communities. – Melissa Stevens, editor
