When The Canary Stops Singing

Thirty years ago, climate change was denied by the media. Twenty-five ago, the threat was only to tree frogs or polar bears and, 20 years ago, to ‘future generations’. Fifteen years ago, the Lancet Commission described it as ‘the greatest threat to human health of the 21st century’. But none of us took any heed. Now, every one of us is threatened and soon, it will be too late. So say not just climate scientists, but ecologists, agronomists, the food industry, the military, healthcare professionals, bankers, actuaries and economists.

In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that, ‘Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.’ In the same year, scientists told us that ‘accelerating greenhouse gas emissions…. culminate in a mass extinction rivalling those in Earth’s past’.  As extreme weather events escalate, the ‘Yield, quality, and predictability of [food] supply from many of our most critical sourcing regions is not something we will be able to rely upon over the coming years’.  Such effects mean that the world economy is committed to the loss of $38 trillion in 2005 international dollars, within 24 years. Indeed, the global economy may be halved within decades, ‘unless immediate policy action…is taken” and, according to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, “our economy may not exist at all if we do not mitigate climate change’.

The latest data (January 2025) suggest that we are on track for >4.2oC, and we are warned that, “At 3C or more of heating by 2050, there could be more than 4 billion deaths, significant sociopolitical fragmentation worldwide, failure of states (with resulting rapid, enduring, and significant loss of capital), and extinction events.’

Prof Hugh Montgomery will discuss how we came to be here, the nature, gravity and immediacy of the threat, and what we must all do in our lives if we are to save ourselves and our families.

Who Should Attend?

This talk is for anyone who wants to understand and respond to the climate emergency, including:

• Professionals in healthcare, science, education, law, finance, and policy, who may be grappling with the implications in their own fields.
• Students and young people, who will live longest with the consequences.
• Community leaders, business owners, and decision-makers, seeking to learn what action can (and must) be taken.
• Anyone interested in the intersection of science, society, and survival.

Questions to Reflect On

• Why did warnings about climate change go unheeded for so long?
• What does a world at >4.2°C of warming really mean for human survival, not just ecosystems?
• How do issues of health, economy, and national security intersect with climate change?
• What practical actions can individuals and communities take now to make a meaningful difference?
• Is there still time to change course, and what does “immediate action” actually look like in daily life?