Come hell or high water. Flickr/ Akuppa John Wigham. Some rights reserved.
For many years, those in Britain arguing that governments should make climate disruption a top priority have found themselves ignored or marginalised. Now, there are hopeful signs that the opposition Labour Party is taking the matter seriously – and may become able to put that concern into practice.
There is clear evidence of the need for comprehensive action. In October, the IPPC science committee delivered a stark report with the message that a fundamental shift in decarbonisation policies was required if catastrophic climate disruption was to be avoided. Truly radical initiatives had to come by 2030. The report attracted widespread attention and probably helped avert outright failure at December's climate summit in Katowice. But the modest outcome of the COP24 meeting is no guarantee that such change will follow, however much it is needed (see "Climate action, a new frontier", 17 December 2018).
