Crisis … What Crisis?

Governments have known about the causes and likely consequences of global warming for more than 30 years.

But most, especially those of the biggest greenhouse gas-emitting nations, have yet to respond effectively to the crisis our planet faces.

After a succession of extreme weather events – from floods to droughts to wildfires – during the summer of 2021, this strange hesitancy is getting harder to understand.

As world leaders meet for COP26 climate talks in the United Kingdom, journalist Amanda Burrell has been asking why politicians in Britain and elsewhere have struggled to take decisive action.