In the context of an increasing number of ‘climate emergency declarations’ and the accelerating adoption of the term ‘climate emergency’, this paper explores the concept.
Firstly, it examines what treating a threat or risk as ‘an emergency’ means in practical terms, referenced to other examples of emergency responses, ranging from local emergencies like flooding, to major historical events like World War II (WWII). It then considers the scientific evidence, the risk-assessment basis and other criteria for considering whether climate change actually qualifies as a ‘global emergency’. To do so, it considers two criteria, arguing they must both be satisfied to justify an emergency response:
