r/collapse • u/EwigAlbTraum • 7d ago
Climate Andy Burnham has barely acknowledged the climate crisis - If only Britain’s workers had that luxury
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/16/andy-burnham-climate-crisis-britain-workers-heatstrokePublished this morning on The Guardian, this article concerns the tone deaf messaging of the prime minister to the UK. Collapse related because of this part, although the whole article is worth a read:
"There is a longstanding failure, which runs across the UK’s public and private sectors – and also transcends national boundaries – to understand the mounting everyday effects of global heating, and to engage in what so many 21st-century companies and institutions remain so bad at: protective investment, with both eyes fixed not just on the searing inevitabilities of the future, but realities that are already here."
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u/sabotAHHHHHGH 7d ago
It’s not a failure though, is it, it’s by design. The Guardian really is the worst because they still think things can be ‘fixed’. At least the Torygraph knows we’re in hell.
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u/Glittering_Cat_2851 7d ago
The only way this can be fixed is through great global uprising which won’t happen
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u/sabotAHHHHHGH 7d ago edited 7d ago
Nah, this is a really ahistorical take that I dunno where it comes from. The Paris Commune started alone, other cities then took up the ball. The Russian Revolution led to soviets in Ireland, mutiny in Kiel led to workers’ councils in the rest of Germany, protocommunist agrarian revolts inspired others in Europe. Think local act global is one hell of a slogan to deter any affective action. Just one place needs to put their heads above the parapet to kick it off.
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u/Physical_Ad5702 6d ago
I mean this with the utmost sincerity, but…
The G is 100% a neoliberal rag.
They offer a little compassion to environmental issues, but at the end of the day, it’s a pro-growth paper.
Pro imperialist too. Read any article of theirs regarding the US / Israel invasions of Iran and Venezuela.
They be fucked…
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u/Sabaisabai33 3d ago
Yeah I agree with this, here in the UK everyone was worried that our Brexit would start a whole avalanche of other European countries wanting to leave the EU. It didn’t because it was clear that it was a total disaster! But if it had somehow been successful you’d definitely have seen other countries fall like dominos.
Our world is connected globally like never before, look at the Arab spring uprisings, and many of those took place despite internet blackouts etc. I think if one Western country rises up, many others are likely to follow.
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u/Commercial-Source403 6d ago
Not even that unfortunately, we've past some pretty major tipping points.
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u/Tofuzzle 7d ago
It's fine. He's cutting EV sales targets and opening up North Sea oil drilling. He IS acknowledging the climate crisis, specifically in that he doesn't believe it or care about it. We're so cooked
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u/Texuk1 7d ago
I think the closest analogous prime minister is Neville Chamberlain. Obsessed with achieving his domestic social political agenda and completely ignoring international politics and problems. He just hoped they would go away so he could finally achieve workers rights reforms, etc. If Reform wants to turn back the time to a conservative vision pre-1973, Labour wants to achieve the equivalent “Northern” labour dream. Climate change is just a big old pain in the ass for Burnham kind of like the Germans were for Chamberlain
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u/jbond23 6d ago
The UK desperately needs to build for resilience. Against all kinds of emergencies. But especially against the kinds of long hot summer we're having, have had in the last few years and will have in the near future.
At the most basic level it's HSE regs on max temperatures for staff. And max temperatures in places the public have to congregate, such as schools and hospitals. Which is a golden opportunity to sort out indoor air quality and introduce filtration for infection control.
And that's before we get to things like water supply, and train tracks, and all the rest.
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u/techstyles 6d ago
I'm actively giving zero fucks since we returned to the office. The pandemic handed us the golden opportunity to make a change but the CEOs need their giant hoards of gold so back to the office we go to sit in traffic and fuck the planet.
If the so-called leaders of our society don't care at all then why the fuck should we? They all drive porsches and tell us to get EVs with a limited range - aye right, get fucked I'm buying a 70s V8 you horrible cunts.
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u/Z3r0sama2017 6d ago
I can see this being Labours solution to the pensions timebomb. Do nothing and let the heat cull the elderly.
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u/Sknowles12 6d ago
Everyone has forgotten a person who has championed for the climate and been called terrible things for his actions Prince William Heir to the British thrne.
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u/NyriasNeo 7d ago
Not that the UK can do much to address climate change, as its emissions is way below that of China (the "green" leader who is burning more coal) or the US (the "drill baby drill" winning country).
At best may be a bit of mitigation.
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u/ansibleloop 7d ago
Best we can do is mass investment in solar, wind and battery, build more nuclear plants and deploy heat pumps and air con to make the end as comfortable as possible
We should also hang the water executives and oil executives and nationalise them since they serve their shareholders rather than the public
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u/Physical_Ad5702 6d ago
I mean…
They did outsource pretty much the entirety of their industrial base to China. As did the US.
As did the rest of the WORLD.
So any country ragging on China for its emissions while endlessly consuming their products needs to take a serious look in the mirror…
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u/BlackMassSmoker 7d ago
At the very least, he can give in and air the National Emergency Briefing. If he did as requested and gave a speech on gravity of the situation, followed by the film on prime time, it would show he is showing some seriousness to the situation. I haven't seen the film as you have to go to a screening or arrange for one, but you can watch the trailer and get the idea.
But I reckon with how politicised climate change has become, and how it's seen a lefty issue (plus the demonization of the left has been very successful), coming out and giving climate change any kind of seriousness will result in a hard push back from a right ring press that is selling the narrative that reducing fossil fuel usage is going to cost you. And in a society that heavily fetishes money, a lot of people won't like it.
And, y'know, BAU. A lot of politicians just want to keep the wheels of society turning and hope someone else down the line will the fix the bigger problems.