LOS ANGELES TIMES • January 16, 2021
As the nation deals with the tragic drama of Trump’s final days in office, and the world reels under assault by a virus, the Earth continues to evolve into a dangerously inhospitable environment. It is our collective fault. The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005 – including each of the last 7 years – suggesting a steady pace upward that could push the average global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels within the decade. Scientists believe nature will deliver even more dire consequences than what we’re already experiencing. So what is the world doing about this? Hardly much of anything. Adapting to the realities of climate change will be expensive, but not confronting this head on and unified will endanger lives, disrupt food chains and biospheres, propel even more migration of climate refugees, and potentially destabilize governments. The world cannot afford that.