Talking about extreme heat, heatwaves or a ‘red alert’ summer does nothing to solve the real problem, which is in fact the climate crisis.

Denying the problem – which has long been confirmed by research across various scientific disciplines – may give us the ‘psychological’ illusion that the problem does not exist, but the reality of the data speaks for itself: we are in the midst of a climate crisis, accelerated by human activity.

This is neither scaremongering nor a fanatical ideological battle.
Science, unlike other social activities, is based on studies, data and analysis.

Let’s take it step by step. Compared with the pre-industrial era (1850–1900), the global temperature of our planet has risen by 1.5 °C, with an estimated rate of increase of 0.25 °C per decade. Denialists can deny it endlessly, but the data speaks for itself. The problem with climate denial and environmental fanaticism – which are two sides of the same coin – is ignorance.

The political elite bears a huge responsibility for all this. It is imperative that policy-makers pay more attention to scientific research and less to public opinion.
When policy-makers encourage climate change deniers or fanatics, the problem of the ecological and economic crisis is compounded.

The first step is to re-establish a healthy relationship between science and policy-makers. Effective measures cannot be taken without taking research findings into account and without studying phenomena from a scientific perspective.

The next step is to understand that ecology and economics are inseparable. There can be no economy without ecology, and vice versa.
The biggest mistake we have made (and continue to make) is to regard economics and ecology as two sworn enemies.

In the minds of most people, these two fundamental aspects are seen as completely at odds with one another, and this foolishly gives rise to fanatics on one side or the other of our lives. But what is the reality? That ‘eco’ prefix, found in both economics and ecology, derives from the Greek word oíkos, which means ‘home’.
In fact, when we talk about Ecology and Economics, we are talking about the two fundamental aspects of our one shared home, our beloved planet.

Two pillars upon which our entire civilisation rests.

Beginning to understand that ecology and economics must go hand in hand is a major step towards sustainable development.

Fossil fuels, global pollution, landfill sites and polluting emissions are the problem we must solve. The climate crisis will cost the world around 130 billion of GDP by 2030.

It will cause damage to agriculture, tourism, our bio-psycho-social wellbeing, the industrial sector and our quality of life in general.
Extreme events – increasingly frequent and intense – are creeping into our daily lives without asking permission. Floods, wildfires, hailstorms, droughts, loss of biodiversity and soil fertility are problems to which we have a duty to respond effectively and promptly.

The solution is well known; what is lacking is the implementation of what we already know.
We must gradually work towards reducing the use of fossil fuels as much as possible, by adopting an energy mix of renewables and nuclear power.

In the worst-case scenario, it will take between 25 and 30 years to bring nuclear power stations online: all the more reason to start today.
In the meantime, we must promote all technologies that produce renewable energy: geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind power. Always saying ‘no’ to everything without offering alternatives does not solve the problem; it simply exacerbates it.

As policy-makers, we have a duty to do the right thing, not simply what appeals to or displeases a section of the electorate.
Listening to the findings of scientific research to better understand the phenomena around us should be standard practice for an enlightened and responsible leadership.

Rebuilding our cities in a safer and smarter way. Restoring green spaces in our cities, and constructing our buildings better to make them more efficient and safer. Trees can significantly lower temperatures in cities, and green building helps us construct passive buildings, also known as net-zero buildings.

The energy crisis triggered by the conflict between Iran and the US has shown us that we live in a systemic society where everything is interconnected and interdependent. Our energy independence, built on a mix of renewable and nuclear energy (in the hope that research will make giant strides in nuclear fission), would not only make us environmentally and economically sound and efficient, but would also help us achieve a high level of national security.

These few actions I have listed would be enough to significantly improve our quality of life and bring about all the environmental, social and economic benefits for all of us, especially those in the most vulnerable groups. The first victims of the climate crisis are the most vulnerable groups, both in terms of health and economic circumstances.

The most vulnerable and the poorest are the first to suffer the effects of the climate crisis, and the first to feel its threat. Taking effective action to tackle the climate crisis means acting with the clear understanding that the economy and the environment, just as environmental justice and social justice, are inseparable pairs that must always go hand in hand and never be separated.