The word “crisis” comes from the Greek verb “krinein”, meaning “to judge” or “to decide”. In this sense, we can think of crises as “moments that are decisive” – and the world has recently been dealing with several. From the global pandemic to the energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, governments have responded promptly to these events with coordinated international responses. Yet when it comes to responding to the climate crisis, such decisiveness seems harder to muster, leaving in its wake an atmosphere of gloom.
People often do not speak in terms of a crisis when it comes to the climate. To an extent this is understandable. Crises are often focused on isolated short-term events, while climate change has been manifesting itself over longer spurts and waves. Nonetheless, every corner of the world is facing its brutal consequences: one third of Pakistan was flooded; the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought; in Europe glaciers are melting and breaking down, and wildfires have destroyed valuable ecosystems.
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