Extreme heatwaves and devastating wildfires are intensifying public pressure for urgent climate action, yet political leaders remain reluctant to address the sweeping systemic changes required to combat global heating. A prominent French politician linked to next year’s presidential race warned that the climate crisis demands radical shifts in daily life, from consumption to trade, framing its effects as a jarring disruption akin to "landing on another planet." The stark contrast between voter demands and political hesitation highlights deepening divisions over how—or whether—to respond to escalating environmental threats. The discussion underscores whether governments are prepared to make the difficult long-term choices necessary to avert worsening crises.
Lethal temperatures and wildfires have exposed a widening gulf between voters demanding action and politicians unwilling to confront the long-term choices global heating requires• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe climate crisis means “we’re going to have to change everything – the way we live, the way we produce, the way we trade,” France’s veteran radical-left firebrand, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, told the summer congress of his France Insoumise party last weekend.The term “climate change”, said Mélenchon – the most likely rival to Marine Le Pen in next year’s presidential run-off, according to one poll this week – may sound “almost reassuring”, but its actual impact will feel like “landing on another planet whenever we leave home”. Continue reading...
