Heat kills

 Heat kills people. This medical fact is well known, and older people are more at risk than younger. In economically well-to-do countries such as the United States, people retreat to their air-conditioned homes,  even though air-conditioning contributes to global warming and ultimately makes the problem worse. Utilities pleaded with people to turn down their air-conditioners in order to protect the power grid. Protecting the environment is rarely part of the rhetoric.

In Germany as in the UK, many people do not have air-conditioning, since it is traditionally unnecessary. The wealthy can afford it. Increasingly some feel it is a luxury that they cannot to do without, even if it makes the real problem noticeably worse. The Guardian reported on 12 June 2022 that:

“A study in the Lancet last year suggested that 740,000 deaths in India a year could already be attributed to global heating.” (LINK)

Most people in India cannot afford air-conditioning, and cannot even to go to a public space that is air conditioned. For them, climate change is a death sentence. Australia is a relatively wealthy country, but the number of people there who are suffering from heat is significant. Cartoonist from the Australian edition of the Guardian raises the question: “If your government won't put a stop to fossil fuels, someone else will have to — will it be you?“ (LINK)

How many people must die before we take action to protect God’s creation?

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