Source: World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report, 2023, p. 10.
In a week, the largest climate event in the US–Climate Week NYC–gets underway. Intentionally scheduled to coincide with the meeting of the UN General Assembly, Climate Week NYC “brings together more than 100,000 people across 1,000+ events in New York City. From global leaders shaping markets and policy to communities driving change on the ground” every year. If my personal schedule is any indication, this year will be the busiest one yet.
As final preparations are under way, the climate crisis rages on. This week, California got a taste of how the climate change-exacerbated super El Niño will affect the season as sea level rise combined with Hurricane Marie off the coast, leading to extensive coastal flooding. At the same time, the death toll from the floods in Nepal continue to climb, with 1,356 confirmed dead and nearly 4,900 still missing.
Not only is it clear that global warming is accelerating and we are living through the early days of worsening climate effects, but democracies around the world are struggling to survive. In less than two months, the democratic system in the US will be tested during our mid-term elections and the threat of election interference grows stronger every day.
Rather than refocusing events on the worsening polycrisis and how we might right the ship after the failure of the Paris Agreement, Climate Week NYC is shaping up to be another year of celebrations of technological innovation, profiles of good climate news, and a whole bunch of climate hopium, which are remarkably tone deaf.
I hope I’m wrong, and will be on site for the week on the lookout for meaningful conversations about how we are going to get through this mess and start to treat the crisis like the crisis it is before things get even worse.
Dana R Fisher 