She said,
Hanging by a thread
A near miss
On the verge of an abyss
[Verse 1]
She said,
Hanging by a thread
Can’t miss this:
On the verge of an abyss
[Bridge]
Teetering on the edge
On the verge
[Chorus]
Anticipating prevaricating
The same ole narrating
What are we going to do
I’m asking you
[Break]
What are we going to do?
[Instrumental, Bass, Drum Fills]
[Verse 2]
Not far from dead
Hanging by a thread
Bubble popped bliss
On the verge of an abyss
[Bridge]
Teetering on the edge
On the verge
[Chorus]
Anticipating prevaricating
The same ole narrating
What are we going to do
I’m asking you
[Break]
What are we going to do?
[Instrumental, Saxophone Solo, Bass]
[Verse 3]
Thought stuck in my head:
Hanging by a thread
Can’t get over this:
On the verge of an abyss
[Bridge]
Teetering on the edge
On the verge
[Chorus]
Anticipating prevaricating
The same ole narrating
What are we going to do
I’m asking you
[Break]
What are we going to do?
[Outro]
The scientists envisage a ‘semi-dystopian’ future
Is this what we want… are you sure?
[End]
A SCIENCE NOTE
The world is on the verge of a climate abyss, the UN has warned, in response to a Guardian survey that found that hundreds of the world’s foremost climate experts expect global heating to soar past the international target of 1.5C.
The Guardian reports, “Many of the scientists envisage a ‘semi-dystopian’ future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck.”
The UN has issued a stark warning in response to a Guardian survey revealing that hundreds of leading climate experts anticipate global heating to surpass the international target of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is teetering on the edge,” remarked the official spokesperson for António Guterres, the UN secretary-general. “The battle to preserve the 1.5-degree target will be decisive in the 2020s, under the leadership of today’s political and industry leaders. They must grasp the gravity of the situation. The science is unequivocal, and so are the world’s scientists: the stakes for humanity have never been higher.”
Alok Sharma, president of the Cop26 climate summit in 2021, emphasized the urgency of the Guardian’s survey results, urging governments to act swiftly on their climate commitments. He underscored the need for world leaders to fulfill their promise to transition away from fossil fuels, as pledged at Cop28 in December.
Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief who played a pivotal role in the 2015 Paris climate agreement where the 1.5-degree Celsius goal was established, urged collective action in response to the scientists’ warnings. She emphasized that while the scientists have provided the data, it is now up to the global community to determine the necessary actions to transform the seemingly impossible into reality.