The world is literally on fire - so why is it business as usual for politicians? | Arwa Mahdawi

Our extreme weather is making me nostalgic for the damp conditions of my English childhood. But despite the climate emergency, capitalism continues regardlessDo you remember when the weather was a reliable source of innocuous small talk? "Hot today, isn't it?" you would observe to a colleague as you stood awkwardly in the lift together. They would reply with something about the garden needing rain, then you would go back to ignoring each other. Talking about the weather was uncontroversial. It was safe. It was oddly soothing.Sadly, there is nothing soothing about the weather any more; every day seems to bring new record-breaking temperatures or extreme conditions. June was the hottest month recorded on Earth; July is on course to break that record. The Arctic is having a sweltering summer that has sparked unprecedented wildfires. According to the World Meteorological Organization, these fires emitted as much carbon dioxide in one month as the whole of Sweden does in a year. Continue reading...