P Those who question the seriousness of the threat which climate change presents have a very strange idea of the risks they think are acceptable. LONDON, 29 September – The latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has echoes of the old joke about a man who phones up his doctor for the results of recent tests. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?” asks the doctor. “Well”, says the patient. “Maybe I should have the good news first so I’m in an optimistic frame of mind.” “OK”, says the doc. “You’ve got 24 hours to live.” Understandably, the man is shocked. “And that’s the good news?” he says, his voice all shaky. “So what’s the bad news?” “I forgot to call you yesterday”, replies the doctor. Behind all the careful scientific language of the IPCC’s report on climate change – issued late last week – there’s a very clear message. The planet – and us humans – are in severe trouble. If action isn’t taken now, climate change is going to wreak havoc. Where the IPCC report thankfully differs from the story of the poor patient and his doctor is that we still have time – if not to put things right, then at least to avert the more serious impacts of global warming. But there can be no more prevarication, no more stalling.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 04:56:40 +0000
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