The Tribune

THE news from Hawaii this past week has been nothing short of terrible as the massive scale of utter devastation has become evident to the outside world. At the time of writing, there are 96 confirmed deaths from the wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui but, reportedly, hundreds of others are still missing.

This disaster is being called the worst in the history of Hawaii and the deadliest fire in the US in more than a century. The country is now facing its biggest ever challenge, with the extent of the destruction and personal loss beyond imagination. It is said that the wildfires were caused by a unique combination of hurricane force winds and fire sparks that swiftly spread out of control following a severe drought.

Inevitably, this horrible, heartbreaking tragedy leads people to think once again about what is happening to the weather worldwide. So it might be worth looking briefly at this issue today and, in particular, considering why many choose to ignore it or deny there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Whatever view people may take about the existence of climate change and global warming, even sceptics will surely accept that the climate around the world has been changing in recent years to the extent that there are more frequent and intense extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes and storms producing increased rainfall. It is claimed that rising global temperatures and changes in weather patterns are causing such an increase in these extreme weather events that can cause flooding and wildfires.

According to reports, all seven of the Earth’s continents have experienced extreme weather conditions recently. These, with new precipitation patterns, have become more common but unpredictable. The World Meteorological Organization says that dangerous weather - intense heat and excessive rainfall - has impacted large parts of the Northern Hemisphere in this current summer of extremes, with soaring temperatures and autumn-like storms igniting wildfires and causing severe flooding in countries in Europe - too many to mention - as well as in Africa and elsewhere. The US has experienced extreme heat this year, and China and India are suffering right now together with, last year, countries like Pakistan, one third of which was under water from flash flooding – and Somalia in the Horn of Africa where millions were pushed close to starvation as a result of a severe drought.

So, despite the deniers, the evidence is that climate change is a very serious threat and its consequences are far reaching. The debate is about what, if anything, can be done to counter its effects and, in particular, reduce global warming by limiting the carbon dioxide emitted by human beings.

In 1988, the United Nations set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Its purpose is to provide regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change and its impacts and future risks as well as options for adaptation and mitigation.

As a brief summary of a layman’s understanding of a complex issue, the IPCC considers that, after the world has already reached an increase of 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels following more than a century of burning fossil fuels, there is a roughly fifty per cent chance that global temperatures will reach 1.5 degrees by 2040. Anything above this threshold would irreversibly alter the global climate system and result in droughts, substantially higher sea levels and habitat and coral reef loss.

To avoid this, emissions of carbon dioxide need to be cut deeply since the IPCC says that this is responsible for most global warming and is caused by human activity like the widespread, long-term burning of fossil fuels which releases greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The next agreed step is therefore for all countries to reduce their carbon emissions and reach net zero by 2050.

Put simply, climate breakdown is no longer a distant threat but is already seriously affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. Extreme weather has enormous human and economic costs, whether from wildfires or the destructive power of flooding. It already constitutes a global emergency that affects countries in different ways. In more remote ones, it has displaced people from their homes, killed livestock, destroyed vital infrastructure and farmland and created food shortages so that people in vast numbers have died; and it will get worse unless action is taken to slow it down or to mitigate it.

But, all too often, climate change and global warming are still not treated as an imminent danger in developed countries as, for example, the coronavirus pandemic was two years ago even though that was a far less deadly threat. In Britain, it is regarded by some as something of an abstraction whose consequences are likely to be decades away. They see it as too big and remote an issue so that people do not feel accountable for their actions which are anyway too small and insignificant to make any difference. Then, there are those who do not believe the facts presented to them by scientists and untrustworthy government officials and believe that global warming is part of a natural cycle in the Earth’s climate. Put simply, the subject does not ignite the public’s understanding and support – indeed, the grotesque action of the Just Stop Oil group in blocking roads in the UK - and interfering with the public’s day-to-day activities while the police look on supinely - has precisely the opposite effect by alienating everybody. Moreover, there appears to be a feeling amongst some in Britain that climate change is something that the elite worry about and delight in imposing restrictions on ordinary people who just want to get on with their daily lives unimpeded by something which may or may not happen sometime in the distant future.

Amongst such people, there is a belief that, if those most closely involved in climate change were serious about limiting carbon emissions, they would do something about the large numbers of commercial flights and private jets which burn huge amounts of fossil fuels and produce significant greenhouse gas emissions.

People also feel that they are being asked to cut back and restrict their activities in certain ways by a law-abiding government that honours its international commitments while other major polluting countries like China and India – and indeed the US itself -- do not do so and apparently incur no penalty.

Nonetheless, the whole issue is under constant review as political leaders meet at least once a year at the COP gatherings held by the UN. At the 2022 meeting in Sharm EL-Sheikh in Egypt, there was at least a small step towards what has been called climate justice when a new chapter was opened on the means of funding for the most vulnerable countries that are hit hard by floods, droughts and climate disasters such as hurricanes. Reportedly, this contributed to building new trust between the countries needing help – including, presumably, Small Island Developing States like The Bahamas, in the Caribbean and elsewhere – and the donor countries. Some at the meeting apparently said that this was treating the patient’s symptoms rather than taking steps to cure the fever – but it is also the case that there cannot be lasting action on climate change without establishing climate justice.

English Premier League is back

The sport of football - known in the US as soccer – is one of the most popular team games around the world. Last weekend marked the start of the 2023/24 domestic professional season in England from August until May. The Premier League is the top tier of the country’s football pyramid with twenty teams battling for the honour and financial reward of being crowned English champions.

The national sport of England is cricket which became popular in the 17th century. However, it is claimed that football, which was created in England and exported around the world, has become the most popular sport in the land. There are over 40,000 active association football clubs – more than in any other country. There is also a following of countless millions of football supporters and fans who are passionate about their teams and whose loyalty and commitment have become unwavering. Support for the top teams even crosses international borders, with some of England’s top football clubs enjoying world fame. The first modern set of rules for the sport were codified in 1863 and these have been gradually developed over the intervening years. Football’s long history has helped to make the sport a key part of the nation’s identity and culture - a way of life and a means of connecting with other people, enabling those concerned to feel part of their community.

As the country welcomes the start of another season, football fans are also following the Women’s World Cup which is currently taking place in Australia and New Zealand. For people of my vintage, references to the FIFA (world football’s governing body) World Cup often mean England’s victory against Germany in 1966 when the English players prevailed over their arch-rivals in spectacular and emphatic fashion to become champions of the world. But, as recently as 1991, the football Women’s World Cup was founded, to be held every four years and one year after the men’s event. So far, it has been dominated by the US whose team was victorious four times before being eliminated as defending champions this year by Japan.

This Women’s World Cup has flourished as a most popular event with extensive TV coverage and record crowds in this year’s host countries of Australia and New Zealand. It has become a matter of national pride for both countries to have organized the event, with the tournament capturing, in particular, the imagination of the Australian public as resonating with the nation’s values. While football aficionados have been following the FIFA men’s World Cup since it was first held in Uruguay in 1930 and won by the host country against their arch-rivals Argentina in the final, the Women’s Cup is fast becoming equally as famous. In bringing people together in celebration of their shared love for what is known as ‘the beautiful game’, it has demonstrated its power to unite and inspire people beyond national boundaries.

Organised initially as a 12-team event, 32 nations are participating this year. The semi-finals are taking place this week between Spain and Sweden and Australia and England, and the final is scheduled for August 20 in Sidney.

Co-hosts Australia have reached the quarter-finals on three occasions but have never got beyond the last eight. Now, they face the European champions, England, as the eyes of the nation and the wider world are upon them in what is expected to be a highly competitive football match. There is, of course, a history of fierce sporting rivalry across-the-board between the two countries, with England victorious in the last major sporting encounter between the two nations on Australian soil when England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003. The general expectation seems to be that England will go through to the final by a narrow margin. But, for the Australian team this time, there could be no sweeter moment than beating England as the upstart against the old colonial power – and, what is more, at a game that the English themselves invented!

Special coins out for new king

An interesting development in Britain last week was the announcement by the Royal Mint that 5 million new 50 pence coins (worth half of one pound sterling) have been released into circulation to mark the coronation of King Charles III. The Royal Mint, which has been striking coins for every British monarch since Alfred the Great, said it was a ‘special moment for the nation’, as people will now have a chance to ‘find a piece of history’ in the small change in their pockets.

This new coin follows the memorial 50p pieces commemorating the change in monarch which were the first coins featuring King Charles and were released into circulation in December, 2022. The Royal Mint described the new release as ‘the biggest change in Britain’s coinage in decades’, marking the first time that many British people had ever seen in their change another royal portrait besides the late Queen Elizabeth.

Coin collectors in particular – also known as numismatists if they study the history behind the production of coins – will be interested that the head of the new 50p coin features the King’s official portrait unveiled in the coins released last year. The reverse side carries his official cypher, and this represents him being crowned at Westminster Abbey in May. Meanwhile, the new coins will co-circulate with those bearing the effigy of the late Queen which will remain legal tender and in active circulation for the foreseeable future.

Interestingly, a new commemorative 50p coin marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival in London of the Windrush generation of migrants from Jamaica – which I wrote about in last week’s column - was also released by the Royal Mint in June.