(SPOT.ph) Record-breaking heat waves, typhoons happening in places that have never experienced rain, snow falling in the desert—these scenes may seem like they're from a dystopic science fiction film. Still, they're actual things the world is experiencing today. There's no denying that climate change or, more accurately, the climate crisis is real. But some people still find ways to discredit scientists sounding the alarm. We've seen it in films like Don't Look Up, and we're seeing it in real life, too. An example of this was when British meteorologist John Hammond gave a grave warning on national television on July 14 about a fatal heat wave in the United Kingdom, which GB News host Bev Turner refused to take seriously.
Also read: Don’t Look Up Is a Hilarious Yet Depressing Star-Studded Affair
"By early next week, you can scratch 20 degrees [Celsius]. It could very well be 40 degrees [Celsius]. I think there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of excess deaths next week. The charts that I can see in front of me are frightening. So we all like nice weather, but this will not be nice weather. This will be potentially lethal weather for a couple of days. It will be brief, but it will be brutal," said Hammond.
To lighten the mood, Turner interrupted the meteorologist and said: "So John, I want us to be happy about the weather. I don't know whether something has happened to meteorologists to make you all a little bit fatalistic and harbingers of doom. Because all of the broadcasts, particularly on the BBC, every time I've turned on, anyone is talking about the weather, and they're saying there's going to be tons of fatalities. But haven't we always had hot weather, John?"
Hammond flat out just said, "Uh, no."
He describes doomsday scenarios relating to extreme heat waves and says people should not take this news lightly. "Many are gonna die over the next week because of the heat. This sort of temperature, this country is just not geared to cope with." He also warned about railway disruptions, which happened in most of the United Kingdom's train lines, including what's supposed to be an overnight train from Scotland to London that never moved despite already having passengers dozing off inside.
One Twitter user (@benphillips76) made a supercut on July 20, showing the similarities of this real-life television interview to a scene from Don't Look Up. The tweet has reached more than 25 million views. In the clip, astronomers Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) try to warn the public through a news interview with Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett).
"We're trying to tell you that the entire planet is about to be destroyed," a furious Dibiasky said.
Much like Turner of GB News, the fictional Evantee of The Daily Rip doesn't take the warning seriously. "It's something we do around here. We just keep the bad news light," her line from the fictional film goes.
In a report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in April, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that "we are on a fast track to climate disaster." Scientists said it is crucial to keep the global temperature from going up by 1.5 degrees, lest the world hit the point of no return. This means having to cut global emissions by 45 percent within this decade. This means reducing the burning of fossil fuels, stopping deforestation, decarbonizing the aviation industry, shrinking the carbon footprint of food production, and shifting to renewable energy.
Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.