Nightmare

Earth is a rather small, fragile planet which has seen a long list of drastic climatic changes over billions of years. Disturbingly, it’s the only planet we’ve got and science is telling us that it’s steadily becoming unstable and unsafe. We are putting ourselves at considerable risk. Various aspects of our climate are reaching dangerous tipping points. If we gave it urgent attention, starting right now, we could survive. The society we all rely on could peacefully continue. Presently, though, we’re playing with profoundly perilous probabilities.

What follows is a nightmare told me by a friend …

A couple sits in an airport departure lounge. They’re off on their annual holiday. Right now, they’re sitting by a giant window looking out, a bit chilly in the air conditioning. There’s a gleaming Air King 250 on the tarmac right outside, waiting to fly them to a gorgeous, tropical, beachside hotel. All’s well, except that one of them, a man with a fine beer belly, has just bought an aviation journal and read an article about the plane. It’s written by a team of leading engineers headed by an important professor at an important university. They’ve found very serious issues with some of the Air King’s essential systems and components. They claim these planes will begin to fail before long, and fail catastrophically. They recommend urgently grounding them until the issues can be resolved.

But the couple in the window seats look very confused. The portly man’s partner, a tall woman with red hair and freckles, has just read another article criticising the research he’s just read about. Her article is in a popular newspaper. It’s been written by some senior politicians and endorsed by a single engineer who seems quite unknown. They point out that no Air King has crashed yet, that every plane has a safety certificate and that we all need, and deserve, to fly to distant, fabulous destinations to recharge our batteries. They claim that air travel is somehow essential to the health of our economy, that it’s almost our patriotic duty. And finally, they say that the professor’s article is ridiculous, green, woke nonsense.

The couple look worried. They’ve been talking earnestly about all this, of course, while they stare at the enormous Air King 250 waiting for them, right outside the window. It’s scary stuff. What should they believe for the best – properly researched science or politicians’ hype?

And now the flight is being called! Everyone is moving to the departure desk. Many of them have a copy of the very same aviation journal in their hands, but they’re still checking onto the flight, laughing and excited.

The couple look at each other in alarm, now. “What are we all doing?’ she says. “What are we all doing?”