The noise of a helicopter filled the air over Fitzroy Crossing. Only a few streets in the town remained above water.  "A lot of people are climbing up on roofs because they've left it too long or didn't realise the extent of the floods. People have abandoned their belongings and homes," said local nurse Jane Grayson.

Floods happen regularly in the Kimberley, an area of Western Australia three times the size of England. But the scale of these ones has left its inhabitants flabbergastedTo be greatly surprised or astonished. It was first used in the 18th Century, but no-one knows where it originated..

Over 48 hours last week, they experienced 16 inches of rain. In some areas, the overflowing waters of the Fitzroy River stretched for 30 miles.

Australia has become increasingly proneLikely to do or be affected by something. to severe floods. Its prime minister Albert Albanese is sure that climate change is largely to blame. He has promised to cut carbon emissionsWhen a gas is let off from something, like a car, it is an emission. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. drastically.

By electing him, Australians have shown how alarmed they are by the problem. But campaigners worry that the world as a whole is turning a blind eye to the crisis.

In 2021 scientists warned that if humans did not deal with global warming they would face "untold suffering". Yet the Australian floods have had much less attention than Prince Harry's memoirs.

One reason, says psychologist Paul Slovic, is that we only face problems when they are very close to us: "The question is often, 'Do I feel vulnerableat risk of being harmed?' For the most part we don't, and that shapes our behaviour." People also dislike giving up their comforts unless they can see the rewards quickly.  

Then there is "the inefficacyFailing to do what it is supposed to. factor". This is the idea that people feel powerless when faced with a problem as big as climate change. "We can curtailStop or reduce. things we want to do, like driving or flying," said Slovic, "but if other people aren't going to do it, it's not going to make any difference."

Yes: Thinking about serious subjects requires a considerable mental effort; gossip is much easier to engage with. Newspapers with a lot of gossip have far more readers than serious ones.

No: Gossip can offer a pleasant distraction, but if the news is about something that immediately affects us - as the floods area affecting the people of Western Australia - we will read that instead.  

Or... We need a mixture of both. News satisfies our need for information, and gossip satisfies our human curiosity. Even the most serious people enjoy a bit of gossip - politicians are often full of it.