Climate change is a globally recognised crisis, yet it is increasingly being treated with an alarming lack of urgency. When asked about the most important issues, climate change is absent. Instead, across the world, people are more concerned about crime, inflation, and taxes. As for the environment, only 53 per cent of the UK public think it is an important issue, while the NHS gets 81 per cent of the vote and the cost of living 87 per cent. This is despite projections that by 2030, the environmental damage will be irreparable.
In the past, politicians like Donald Trump have been vocal about climate change hysteria, often relying on dubious information to back their denialism. But the facts speak for themselves, and even staunch protestors like Nigel Farage are now downplaying climate denialism in a bid to net more supporters.
Climate change may understandably not be a priority for those struggling to put food on the table, but it remains a ticking time bomb. Research reveals that 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. It remains the responsibility of state leaders to ensure the public is informed, not misinformed, about the expected consequences of doing nothing.
Poor Countries Hit Hardest
Poorer countries are already taking the brunt of climate change. Even though around 60 per cent of CO2 emissions are produced by China, the USA, India, Russia and Japan, they are not the ones who will feel the immediate effects of climate-related damage. Chad (one of the poorest places on earth) is reported to be the country most vulnerable to climate change, despite contributing only 0.19 per cent to global emissions. Chad’s naturally hot climate is getting hotter. As droughts and river flooding become more prolonged and frequent, poverty levels rise.
Lake Chad is a vital water source for farming and livestock in the arid Sahel region, but it has been shrinking at an unprecedented rate since the 1960s, with 90 per cent of it now gone. Over 30 million people live within the Chad Lake Basin, and over half rely on farming, herding and fishing to make a living. The rising temperatures and decreased rainfall have caused crop shortages, leaving approximately 4.5 million people in the basin ‘severely food insecure.’
Damaging Misinformation
Misinformation has thrived in the social media landscape. As more people turn to social media for their news and Gen-AI becomes the latest go-to tool for creating content, fabrications and fakes have multiplied exponentially. Out of this, climate denialism has grown into a dangerous philosophy shared by 36 per cent of the world’s population. Worryingly, 23 per cent of Congress members appear to support this denialism. Add to this the algorithmic tendency towards conformational bias, and voilà, you have a strong but formidable minority, some of whom are lawmakers, that denies the human origins of climate change.
Future Outlook
The most worrying aspect of climate change is the expected long-term damage. From an increased risk of flash flooding to biodiversity loss to heat waves and wildfires, the world is becoming a less hospitable place. Between 1988 and 2019, Australia has seen an 800% increase in forest areas burned by wildfires. In January 2026, 300 homes in Victoria were destroyed as a result. Between 2019-20, bushfires cost the agriculture industry approximately $4-5 billion. Of course, wildfires are not unique to Australia. Greece, California and Canada have all experienced similar wildfires with widespread damage and much media attention.
Without effective climate action, the burden and consequences of environmental damage will fall squarely on the youth, affecting employment prospects, housing, living costs, and even geographic location, as more people will be forced to move towards less environmentally volatile areas.
Politicians across the world are all too aware of these issues, yet action has been stalled in favour of economic concerns. This, however, is shortsightedness. Climate change is no longer a distant possibility but a formidable and urgent crisis unfolding before our eyes. But there is time left on the clock. Succumbing to the hoax idea will only increase the rate and degree of damage. Leaving the comfort of our digital echo chambers, fact-checking, and responding critically to unverified claims will help block climate misinformation and those who spread it for their own gain.
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