Ian McEwan says pessimism a bigger problem than climate change'

Temperatures in the UK broke May records, prompting a claim that pessimism is a bigger problem than climate change. Optimism is presented as a moral duty and an exercise in rationality, since the world is large and diverse and unexpected revolutions may be occurring. Renewable electricity in 2020 reportedly surpassed gas and coal, but attention was diverted by Covid. Self-interest is suggested as an initial driver for climate action, such as reducing energy bills through balcony solar panels. Farmers face extreme weather uncertainty and political instability, with production falling to about half of normal hay and silage yields. Many farmers reportedly do not fully understand government farming visions, and national and farm-level plans do not align.

"McEwan constantly hears people say that they don't expect their children to have as good a life as they did, but suggested that optimism is a moral duty. McEwan's latest book, What We Can Know, is partly set in 2119, in a Britain submerged by seas. He spoke at the Hay festival on a panel alongside the former NFU president Minette Batters and Sandi Toksvig, on a day that saw temperatures in London reach 34.8C, beating a May record set in 1922."

"McEwan went on to say that optimism is an exercise in rationality, because it's quite possible given that the world is big, cultures are diverse that there could be a revolution happening and we don't even know about it. He referred to the historical moment in 2020 when electricity generated from renewable sources outpaced that generated from gas and coal plants in the UK. We were probably too busy with Covid to even notice."

"He added that self-interest might be a very good first step towards progress on the climate crisis. If you've knocked, say, 150 off your annual bill by having a few panels on your balcony if you happen to have a balcony the next step will feel slightly virtuous. It's a nudge, basically."

"Batters, who led the government's farming profitability review last year, said that farmers do not know what is coming next due to extreme weather. Last year, in my 26 years of farming, I've never had a year like it, she added. We produced 50% of our normal hay crop, 50% of our normal silage crop. Uncertainty for farmers is heightened by all the political shenanigans, the changes, she said."

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