But from the very start it was also a clear dress rehearsal for the looming global catastrophe of climate change, which is barreling toward us and likely to wreak more damage than the pandemic. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called COVID-19 a “wake-up call” for climate change. What bothered me was the frustrating conclusion that we could still head off the most devastating climate change effects if we took immediate concerted action. If people won’t get vaccinated or wear masks, how can they be expected to transform their lives as climate change requires? And fighting climate change is even harder than fighting COVID in this sense: With COVID, there’s no trillion-dollar industry with a vested interest in making sure you don’t believe in it.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 09, 2021 22:52 UTC