June 2023 was the hottest month in recorded history. 4 July was, for a few hours, the hottest day in 120,000 years, before 5 July took its crown and was toppled in turn by 6 July. All in all, some 10,000 climate records have been broken in the last 30 days.

These figures have all been bandied about in the media. But for most who read them, they have very little meaning.

Nor do the graphic images of wildfires devastating Greek islands seem to have shocked us all that much. Even as RhodesA large Greek island known for both its ancient ruins and beach resorts. burst into flames and thousands were evacuated, flights continued to land on the island.

That is why some think the reason we have not been able to deal with the climate crisis is our own complacencyFeeling of satisfaction with your own work that stops you from trying harder. .

Scientists believe this complacency could even be wired into our brains. They say humans have an "optimism bias": an unshakeable conviction that things will turn out fine. And because we have evolved to deal with what is immediately in front of us, instead of long-term problems, we find it difficult to conceptualiseForm an idea of how something works in your mind. long-term trends.

Others think the real problem is our political system. Modern states compete with each other to see who can achieve the best growth. All of this means that none of them wants to risk moving away from fossil fuels first, because they risk making themselves weaker on the international stage.

But there are some who say we are not being complacent at all. They point out that we have made rapid progress in certain areas.

Ten years ago, just 15% of the electricity produced in the UK came from renewable sources. By the end of last year, this had shot up to 58%.¹

This is not enough to solve the crisis, they concedeAdmit that something is right - after first saying it was wrong.. But it shows we are moving in the right direction.

The reason we cannot move more quickly, they say, is not complacency, but political pressure. Last year, the oil and gas industry spent $124.4 million lobbyingTrying to influence the decisions of the government. A lot of lobbying is legal and carried out by reputable organisations, but sometimes it can be illegal or unethical, especially when a politician uses their connections to benefit a company or organisation they belong to. the US federalIn the USA laws are made both by individual states and the federal government, which governs all states together. government alone, seeking to secure policies that will expand fossil fuel extraction.²

So, they think, blaming the crisis on human complacency is a distraction. It lets those who spend millions keeping fossil fuels burning off the hook.

Yes: We have known about this crisis for decades. We know what we need to do to halt it. Yet we still keep burning more and more fossil fuels. It is as if we do not know we are driving ourselves to extinction.

No: Slow it might be, but we are making real progress towards net zero carbon emissions. Certainly, more can be done, but it is not complacency that is stopping us; it is competition.

Or... Most people have no capacity to affect the climate crisis themselves. The ones that could change things are the big polluters, like the fossil fuel companies; and they are only making it worse.

Rhodes - A large Greek island known for both its ancient ruins and beach resorts.

Complacency - Feeling of satisfaction with your own work that stops you from trying harder.

Conceptualise - Form an idea of how something works in your mind.

Concede - Admit that something is right - after first saying it was wrong.

Lobbying - Trying to influence the decisions of the government. A lot of lobbying is legal and carried out by reputable organisations, but sometimes it can be illegal or unethical, especially when a politician uses their connections to benefit a company or organisation they belong to.

Federal - In the USA laws are made both by individual states and the federal government, which governs all states together.