'The climate alarm is blaring'

If it were to cease completely, the global climate would face dire consequences, a prospect some experts believe is increasingly likely.

Fire-clouds

This summer has underscored a harsh reality: we are experiencing the outcomes of our actions.

Heatwaves around the world have been intensifying rapidly, with June marking the hottest on record for Western Europe, fueled by the highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded for the month.

In Europe, the June heatwave led to 10,000 excess heat-related deaths, with over 9,000 of those being individuals aged 65 and above.

The resulting aridity and worsening drought conditions set the stage for fires in Spain and France.

Throughout the region, these perilous and unpredictable fires have ravaged the land, spreading quickly and creating extraordinary conditions, including the emergence of pyrocumulonimbus clouds, or “fire clouds,” which generate their own wind and lightning.

Force

The human impact is profound. Up to 375,000 people in Spain and France were compelled to evacuate their residences. It is predicted these fires could persist until early November.

The effects—destroyed homes, scorched landscapes, crippled local economies, ruined agricultural outputs, and skies filled with hazardous smoke—will linger long after the flames are extinguished.

The future is clearly foreshadowed in today’s climate politics. Declarations by world leaders are not a substitute for action. Here’s what real action entails:

Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies on a set near-term schedule. Governments should publish binding phase-out plans for these subsidies, starting with the most carbon-intensive, and close the loophole that allows “transition” gas projects to qualify as green investments.
Halt the approval of new fossil fuel infrastructure. No new licenses for oil, gas, or coal exploration should be granted—period. Approving new fields today only means breaking promises tomorrow.
Significantly increase renewable energy production. Enhance local, national, and international energy transmission systems while supporting renewable micro-production for households to achieve greater energy independence.
Allocate funds for adaptation and resilience based on the scale of risk, not politics. This requires dedicated, secured climate finance for disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and support for the elderly and vulnerable during heatwaves—not discretionary spending that is cut during austerity measures.
Protect and restore ecosystems as essential infrastructure. Wetlands, forests, and healthy soils can simultaneously reduce fire and flood risks. Nature restoration should be funded and treated as critical infrastructure, not merely an optional addition to roads and grids. Most importantly, protect and restore our ocean—the planet’s blue heart.
Exclude polluting industries from climate negotiations. Fossil fuel lobbyists should not influence policies designed to phase them out. Conflict-of-interest rules for climate negotiations are long overdue.

Industry must not wait for governmental mandates. They should:

Publish credible, science-based transition plans with interim targets—not just 2050 net-zero pledges, but verifiable, independently audited milestones for 2027 and 2030, striving for real-zero, not just net-zero.
Reduce emissions across the entire supply chain, not just direct operations. For sectors such as fashion, food, and shipping, this means addressing Scope 3, or indirect emissions, where most of the footprint lies.
Cease financing fossil fuel expansion. Banks and insurers must stop underwriting new oil and gas projects and redirect capital to renewables, grid upgrades, and nature-based solutions. Already, 91% of renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.
Incorporate climate risk into core business planning, from supply chain resilience to workforce safety during extreme heat, rather than relegating it to a sustainability team’s side project.
Support rather than obstruct ambitious regulation. Businesses committed to the transition should advocate for stronger climate policies, not quietly fund trade associations that oppose them.
Invest in the future: finance renewable energy, its production, distribution, efficiency, and storage.

Scale

The path we are on is disastrous: it will lead to violence, starvation, widespread forced migration, war, and death. Current efforts are too slow and inadequate for the urgency we face.

However, a better future is still achievable—it is not too late—and the economic arguments increasingly support this. Chinese CO2 emissions have been stable or declining for nearly two years, driven by increased investment in renewables.

This is not about making sacrifices. Protecting our ecosystems and phasing out fossil fuels safeguards livelihoods and builds resilient economies, rather than compromising them. Effective climate action is not a “cost”—it represents the greatest potential cost savings in human history.

The global warming driving the severe fires and drought in Europe will worsen significantly unless we take decisive action.

“The climate alarm is blaring, from every direction,” stated Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief. We must now insist that our leaders—and the businesses that influence and lobby them—act with the necessary force, speed, and scale.

This Author

Steve Trent is the chief executive and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation.