We shouldn’t be happy about a heatwave in February – we should be angry
BY LILY ABBOTT
Anyone who has been outside within the last week knows how warm it’s been. It’s been all over the news, classic brit chat has been centred around the weather. On the face of it, it’s great, we’re hitting record-breaking temperatures, we get to sit outside in the middle of February, drink it up in beer gardens and avoid any looming uni work because – hey it’s warm and who can focus on anything when the weather is great? But isn’t anyone absolutely freaking out about why this is happening?
Only last year the country was suffering under the hands of the dreaded Beast from the East and now we’re facing incredibly unseasonable temperatures. Earlier this week 20C was recorded which is totally out of the ordinary for the end of February. This isn’t coincidental and the big elephant in the room is climate change. These are the dreaded words we just cannot avoid for much longer.
Everything I’ve heard about this weather is how brilliant is and sure who doesn’t love a bit of sun after the winter period but come on, this is really scary stuff. This should be being discussed on the news, debated about, explained to those who might not understand the dire consequences surrounding the ever-increasing temperature of the planet. Instead, all we’re hearing is how lovely it is, news readers expressing their love for the warmer weather and the general public enjoying basking in their local park or by the sea. Yet, no-one seems to be having these important conversations.
What kind of freak weather does it take for people to sit up and listen? Only last month did we see arctic temperatures hit the East Coast of North America, but perhaps people don’t sit up and listen when it’s happening in another part of the world. The hottest 20 years on record have been within the past 22 years and yet people still aren’t taking note. Youths are striking to emphasise how important this issue is but who is even listening? It’s terrifying to think that the Earth is teetering on destruction and nothing is being done to prevent it.
As humans, we have so many resources and the power to prevent this from happening, but the greed of humanity and capitalism has led us to ignore our responsibilities. This is a far bigger issue than anyone seems to understand and those in power don’t seem to be recognising it as an issue which requires urgent attention. This can’t be ignored for much longer. The priority needs to be shifted from protecting profit-based corporations to using the money and resources to protect ourselves from impending self-destruction.
We need those in powerful positions to be held accountable and face up to their responsibilities.