<
https://freedium-mirror.cfd/https://wlockett.medium.com/heatwaves-accountability-profit-c20c935ed8b4>
"Britain and Europe have just experienced one of the worst heatwaves in living
memory, with temperatures climbing over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
However, unlike the last record-breaking single heatwave from the '70s, this
was no anomaly; it was the result of a stark upwards trend. The summer of 2024
was the hottest ever recorded until 2025 smashed that record, and now 2026 is
set to possibly top that too. This is why scientists have found that this
recent heatwave was impossible without man-made climate change. We also know
that this heatwave has killed well over a thousand people and dealt serious
damage to infrastructure, economies, and society. But hold on, we know who is
responsible for, and profits hugely from, climate change: fossil fuel
companies. In a just world, they would be made to pay for the damage their
goods cause. But that isn't happening. Why? Truth be told, there are a lot of
reasons. This is a complex topic. But there is one glaringly obvious reason —
taking accountability would destroy them. Let me explain.
But first, how much damage does climate change-induced extreme weather cause?
Well, there are a few different ways of calculating that.
The charity Christian Aid found that the ten worst climate-related disasters of
2025 caused more than $120 billion in insurance losses. That is a dramatic
figure, but it doesn't reflect all the damages. Much of the developed world
hasn't been accounted for, nor have down-the-line losses or economic damage. It
doesn't even take into account all the lives lost, as much of the world's
population doesn't have life insurance. As such, while this is a shockingly
high figure, it is very much an underestimation.
This is where the study of weather attribution comes in. This process looks at
extreme weather events, like heatwaves, hurricanes, floods, and snowstorms, and
uses tools like computer simulations to figure out if man-made climate change
caused the event or how much worse the event was because of climate change.
Weather attribution studies are incredibly detailed and time-consuming, as they
use a truly staggering amount of data and analysis to arrive at defensible
conclusions. But, once you have completed this study, you can then attempt
another which looks at how much damage these extreme weather events caused and
establishes how much of this damage was due to man-made climate change.
Studies like these take a long time to complete, but their results are
shocking."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
