Wildfires, raging temperatures: This is the cry of Mother Nature in distress

Editorial: Our rapidly changing climate is veering out of its normal ranges even more rapidly than the scientists were expecting

A wildfire blazes near the Dartford Crossing in Kent on Tuesday (Sky News)

It is often said that the country cannot afford to do what needs to be done to prevent a catastrophic climate crisis. The unreal and unprecedented temperatures recorded in recent days suggest rather more strongly that the country cannot afford not to do whatever it can to restrict the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Our rapidly changing climate is veering out of its normal ranges even more rapidly than the scientists were expecting. Summer heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 40C may hit Britain once every few years, with similar abnormal disruptions to the other seasons.

The immediate impact can be seen in the fires, the melting roads, the loss of rail networks, and for those in poor health, increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. The longer-term effects will be subsidence to buildings, failure of crops, loss of fisheries, changes to the natural habitat, increasing incidence of skin cancers, impossible to inhabit workplaces and other unpredictable trends.