As high as temperatures have been in recent days. Forecasters are
expecting even hotter days in some parts of Europe. Tomorrow, Stephanie
Sy gets the perspective of a climate scientist in Europe watching
all of this.
Now let's focus more on the underlying reasons behind this extreme
heat wave and the risks. Joining us now is Emily Shock Borough, the
director of Cambridge zero. The University of Cambridge is a climate
change initiative. Professor Shock Borough. Thank you so much for
joining the news hour. You've had several heat waves over the years.
But does this summer feel different? Does it feel more worrisome
to you?
The mood here really is different. I think that we've now seen in
the UK and across Europe.
Summer of the summer with heat waves that are causing real.
Human hardship, whether that's in terms of the number of people who
have died or just even the disruption to daily life that terrifying
wildfires that are impacting communities, But we've also seen across
Europe.
The devastation caused by flooding events as well. I was in southern
France a few weeks ago and devastating floods in southern France
from two years ago. You can still see the immense damage that's occurred
as a consequence of that.
So it's very much the case in the UK and throughout Europe that everyone
knows somebody who's being affected by the impacts of climate change.
And I think that has changed the mood and people really are starting
to realize that climate change isn't any longer. Problem of tomorrow
is a problem that
Affecting people affecting people economically.
And affecting people in terms of human lives today.
Here in Phoenix, Arizona to have a triple digit day is the norm.
But most people have Erkan dish inner czar people having to adopt
the infrastructure of hotter summers there because you're starting
to see these extreme heat waves more often.
Well, that's exactly the point. Of course, there are many parts of
the United States that experience hotter temperatures on a daily
basis throughout the summer months, But you have conditioning and
your infrastructure is adapted to that in the UK very few homes have
air conditioning and to adapt to change our infrastructure entirely
to cope with these higher temperatures, the cost would be prohibitive.
And so it's a real challenge is to how we cope with the climate change
that we're already seeing today.
One of the topics that's come up in the climate change. Discussion
here is how inflation and high energy prices is changing the conversation
away from greener renewable energies
toward let's lower gas prices. How do you combat that? Um
Change in tone as we face inflation and high energy prices.
Well again. It's very difficult coming from the UK to really identify
with that position very much. The narrative here in the UK is that
the current cost of living crisis which is very real. Is it hard
and energy crisis as you describe, but it's a fossil, fuel driven
energy crisis. And if we can move our economy away from that dependency
on fossil fuels, embracing renewable energy technologies, reducing
our reliance on energy in the UK, large amounts of our energy is
used to heat our homes in winter.
If we better insulate our homes, then we would have less reliance
on the need for energy in the first place across the range of measures
to reduce our reliance on the volatile fossil fuels
fossil fuel economy and embrace a new economy with greater energy
security is very much the way that we're looking at this again thinking
of the opportunities that we can that we can embrace.
I know that you have met with members of Parliament there in Britain
that you were at a press conference alongside the chief scientist
in the country recently. Do you feel that the government is responsive
to your message? Well in the U. K. We have a target of reaching net
zero emissions by 2050 and the government has responded last year
with a detailed plan as to how to do that across all sectors of the
economy. There's still further progress that needs to be made in
in
Critical sectors. I mentioned the challenge of heating our homes
and switching that heating from fossil fuel driven to renewable sources.
That's a major
Shift of our of our infrastructure. There's also challenges in terms
of looking at agriculture and land use. But there are other areas
where progress is really already being made, particularly in the
transport sector, where electric vehicles taking off. Um and the
uptake is, I think exceeding all possible expectations in terms of
the growth of electric vehicles, so there are signs of progress.
The key difference between the UK and many other countries, including
the United State.
Is that we have a strategy as to how to do this transition. It might
not be complete enough in all respects, but it's a start.
And if other countries could adopt a similar approach to putting
together a detailed plan a detailed strategy and embracing the economic
opportunities that are associated with a net zero transition, then
we might as a global society be able to respond to climate change,
with the scale and urgency required.
Emily Shock Pro, the director of Cambridge zero. Thank you for joining
the news hour.