Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 minutes ago
I joined Andrea Sanke on TRT World's Newsmakers, as one of three panellists, to address the question of the day: as global heating accelerates, are we simply losing the battle against ever-growing wildfires? Look at the political response and the picture is grim. Let's not understate it — President Trump's answer to Canadian wildfire smoke drifting south has been to threaten Canada with further tariffs, while both countries carry on proposing to increase fossil fuel production... that is insane!
But my own country offers no comfort either. Many hoped our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would be an improvement on his deeply unpopular predecessor, Keir Starmer. On climate and nature, he has so far been, if anything, worse. Talking up more North Sea oil and gas, and offering a pitiful response to the wildfires and droughts scorching Britain through the hottest summer we have ever recorded. His one contribution to date? Encouraging retailers not to sell disposable barbecues. That's it.
We have to face what we have caused: a crisis that is already devastating and is going to become far more so. Until we tackle its root causes, it will go on getting worse indefinitely. And in the meantime we must adapt with orders of magnitude, more resources and a mission-like seriousness. We must seek to protect ourselves together. Governments that fail to lead on this will be judged, and in due course they will be thrown out.
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Edited excerpt courtesy of Andrea Sanke & TRT Newsmakers youtube.com/watch?v=MnOeZ7uLkNg
I joined Andrea Sanke on TRT World's Newsmakers, as one of three panellists, to address the question of the day: as global heating accelerates, are we simply losing the battle against ever-growing wildfires? Look at the political response and the picture is grim. Let's not understate it — President Trump's answer to Canadian wildfire smoke drifting south has been to threaten Canada with further tariffs, while both countries carry on proposing to increase fossil fuel production... that is insane!
But my own country offers no comfort either. Many hoped our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would be an improvement on his deeply unpopular predecessor, Keir Starmer. On climate and nature, he has so far been, if anything, worse. Talking up more North Sea oil and gas, and offering a pitiful response to the wildfires and droughts scorching Britain through the hottest summer we have ever recorded. His one contribution to date? Encouraging retailers not to sell disposable barbecues. That's it.
We have to face what we have caused: a crisis that is already devastating and is going to become far more so. Until we tackle its root causes, it will go on getting worse indefinitely. And in the meantime we must adapt with orders of magnitude, more resources and a mission-like seriousness. We must seek to protect ourselves together. Governments that fail to lead on this will be judged, and in due course they will be thrown out.
RupertRead.net
RupertRead.substack.com
twitter.com/GreenRupertRead
https://bsky.app/profile/rupertread.bsky.social
instagram.com/RupertRead
tiktok.com/@GreenRupertRead
facebook.com/GreenRupertRead
Edited excerpt courtesy of Andrea Sanke & TRT Newsmakers youtube.com/watch?v=MnOeZ7uLkNg
