Climate change no longer a key topic?
In his speech to the UN General Assembly last Tuesday, US President Donald Trump described climate change as the "greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world". European commentators are worried and discuss whether this crucial issue is being sidelined.
Dangerously discouraging
The fight against climate change doesn't stand a chance with Donald Trump, complains Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini in La Stampa:
“His recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly was indeed a series of discouraging statements. ... He described wind turbines as ridiculous. He called the carbon footprint a fraud. He said that countries that don't move away from renewables are doomed to failure. ... The real drama is that the attitude of Trump and those who think like him has negative consequences for all the eight billion people living on this planet. Every delay in the ecological transition, every attack on emissions-reduction policies has global consequences.”
Fast-paced conflicts overshadowing eco issues
Not enough attention is being paid to global warming in the global context, Helsingin Sanomat criticises:
“The climate crisis is no longer at the top of citizens' list of concerns as it was a few years ago, even though global warming is becoming more apparent and visible every day, both in Finland and elsewhere in the world. There are so many crises around the world that fast-paced conflicts receive more attention than slower-moving but equally worrying developments. The headlines are dominated by Gaza, Ukraine, Donald Trump and the gloomy economic situation. ... Targets and commitments are being postponed and watered down, and this inaction is already costing money and human lives.”
Crossing the boundaries of the planet and reason
The world as it is now resembles a dystopian Hollywood film, Libération concludes:
“Seven out of nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded and humanity is living in an unprecedented risk zone. ... With our eyes fixed on the political and geopolitical reality, like the unfortunate characters in the film Don't Look Up, we have failed to realise that we have collectively taken a step towards irreversible damage. In recent days, the only echo of a debate about the state of the planet came from Trump's tirade at the UN. ... Without doubt a tenth boundary should be added, namely that of stupidity and greed, which the US president has merrily crossed.”