Extreme weather just might encourage us to work together on global warming

Across the planet, climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme weather

Much has been written about our incredible psychological ability to ignore or gloss over the threat of climate change. According to Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO, “the gap between what we know about the interconnectedness and fragility of our planetary system and what we are actually doing about it is alarming. And it is deepening”. This gap between knowing and doing can be explained, in part, by our tendency to reach for defence mechanisms in response to the realities of climate change.

We deny the reality of climate change, minimise its implications or our