Making predictions of future behaviour based on past behaviour can be very expensive when investment in the share market is concerned, but there is one field of endeavour where such predictions can be made with an almost 100% guarantee of accuracy.
Global Warming / Climate Change / Climate Emergency: call it what you will, it is always just around the corner but never actually arrives. This is exceedingly fortunate as it gives the Chicken Littles the ability to issue last chance warnings.
One year ago I predicted that we would be given one last opportunity to solve this dire global problem and, just like clockwork, perennial prognosticator Michael Mann delivered:
Michael Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, said this would be the last IPCC assessment that can make a real difference in policy terms, before we exceed 1.5C and the ambitions of the Paris agreement.
Guardian
The globe’s exceedingly lucky run of “last chances” began back in 2001 when all the climate notables gathered in Bonn, and Time reported that it was:
A Global Warming Treaty’s Last Chance.
Moving to Montreal in 2005 the countries were told by Mark Lynas that:
Montreal represents a last [last] chance for action
They then all jetted off to Bali in 2007 where Tony Juniper from the Friends of the Earth told them:
Bali could be the last [last, last] chance to avoid the worst effect of global warming
Back to Poland in Europe they went in 2008 to hear Tim Flannery tell them:
This round of negotiations is likely to be our last [last, last, last] chance as a species to deal with the problem.
Across the Baltic to Copenhagen they flew in 2009 to hear the European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas say:
This makes Copenhagen the world’s last [last, last, last, last] chance to stop climate change before it passes the point of no return.
Time for a jaunt to Cancun in the Americas in 2010 where Jairem Ramesh, the Indian environment minister said that he saw it as:
The last [last, last, last, last, last] chance for climate change talks to succeed.
Durban, South Africa was the next port of call in 2011 where the UN conference was described by many experts as:
Humanity’s last [last, last, last, last, last, last] chance to avert the disastrous effects of climate change.
Maintaining the alliteration they flew to Doha in 2012 and the 25 November issue of The Examiner posed the question:
Tomorrow: the earth’s last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance with climate change?
Back to Europe and Warsaw for 2013’s junket when we were asked in the Sustainable Mobility issue of 14 Nov 2013:
Is the Warsaw Climate Change Conference a last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance summit?
Moving on to Lima in 2014 WWF headed an article:
Last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance: Change needed for climate negotiations in Lima 2014.
But Paris called, so in 2015 the BBC told us that:
The UN meeting in December is “the last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance” to avert dangerous climate change, according to the Earth League.
Apparently, we were not listening, so the UN put out a report in 2016.
“Last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance” to Limit Global Warming to Safe Levels, UN Scientists Warn
Asia was feeling somewhat neglected so a trip to South Korea was required in 2018 where an international panel warned us that it was the:
Last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance to curb greenhouse gas emissions and climate change to limit catastrophic effects.
But apparently, there was still one last chance. (Who knew, huh?) So said a study in Leeds in 2019.
There’s Still One Last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] Chance to Avoid Total Climate Catastrophe.
And, as reported last year, according to the Observer, that was our last chance to listen.
Thirty years ago we were warned. Now is our last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance to listen.
I really don’t know what to say. You were warned – but you did not listen. And now, here we are in 2021 with your last [last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last] chance to mend your ways and save the planet.
However, I have a sneaking suspicion that 2022 may well turn out to be your last chance. Don’t know why. Just a hunch.
Disclaimer:
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.