It is easy to underestimate the scale of what we face. The planet is warming at an alarming rate, and the consequences are becoming ever more visible. Europe has just endured its hottest June on record, with heatwaves and wildfires claiming at least 16,000 extra lives in June alone and over 35,000 across the summer. Western Europe, now the fastest-warming continent, is likely to see such summers become the norm.
The Pacific is bracing for a powerful El Niño expected this fall, possibly the strongest in over a century—a 'Godzilla' event that could push global temperatures even higher. And it is not just the land: this August, the world's oceans recorded their highest temperatures ever, accelerating sea-level rise and threatening coastal communities from Mumbai to Manila.
Yet humanity seems unable to stop adding fuel to the fire. The latest culprit is artificial intelligence. The data centers powering AI are projected to increase greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector by at least 20%, and possibly by a third, according to environmental expert Bill McKibben. This is on top of the endless fossil fuels burned in wars from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan and Somalia, and by the US military itself.
A second way to end the world
We humans have managed to devise not one but two apocalyptic paths. The first, nuclear weapons, has not been used in war since 1945, though more than 2,000 test detonations have occurred. The second, climate change, is unfolding in slow motion. And now, with the re-election of Donald Trump, the United States is doubling down on the latter.
Trump, a climate-change denier of the first order, has spent his second term blocking wind and solar projects while promoting ever more fossil-fuel production. In doing so, he is ceding the vast and growing green-energy market to China, which has become the world's leader in solar panels, batteries, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. China still emits the most greenhouse gases of any nation, but it is also investing heavily in the technologies that will define the future.
As Trump's policies take hold, the US is falling behind in the global race to dominate clean energy. Trump's tariffs give China an opening in the Global South, where demand for affordable green technology is soaring. Meanwhile, South Korea is rethinking its reliance on the US alliance, partly due to Trump's unpredictable foreign policy.
The irony is stark: while Trump boasts about American energy dominance, he is handing the future to Beijing. Trump's Iran missteps lay bare the limits of US military might, and his climate policy shows a similar blindness to long-term strategic interests.
In the end, Trump may be laughing all the way to the bank, but the joke is on us. As the planet heats up, the consequences will be felt by everyone, especially in Asia, where rising seas and extreme weather threaten hundreds of millions of people. The question is whether we will wake up before it is too late.
