Aberdeenshire Tragedy and Climate & Ecological Crisis
August 13, 2020
Yesterday’s heartbreaking tragedy in Aberdeenshire exposes the dire reality that climate and ecological breakdown is happening right now in Scotland.
Climate change isn’t something far off in the future, it is happening right now – and is taking lives in this country, today.
Three people have now died because of the train derailment, caused by a combination of extreme weather and sweltering temperatures, leading to flooding and landslips. ScotRail’s own boss warned last year that the railway “cannot cope” with the climate emergency right now. He has been proved tragically right.
This disaster was not inevitable. It was caused by criminal inaction from those with the most power to change things. This was a political choice.
For decades, our governments have steadfastly ignored the warnings of those of us around the world who are facing catastrophes caused by climate change every day.
They have even ignored their own scientists (the Govt’s Committee on Climate Change in July warned that “the country is not yet prepared for the changes in the climate that are now inevitable, let alone higher levels of warming that are still possible if the world does not reach net-zero emissions quickly”, after years of demanding action on emissions), instead choosing to hand over bailouts and handouts by the fistful to fossil fuel companies and airlines.
We can see with our own eyes that we are in climate and ecological emergency, yet our governments continue to choose to sacrifice lives at the altar of profit.
