Mark Cocker

The world is ablaze – yet climate chaos still takes us by surprise

Our unpreparedness was vividly illustrated by the catastrophic Canadian inferno of 2016 – originally judged a minor brushfire beyond Fort McMurray’s city limits

Trees along a highway near Fort McMurray are engulfed in flames in May 2016. The wildfire, initially ignored, entailed the evacuation of 90,000 residents and a $10 billion price tag. [Getty Images] 
issue 05 August 2023
  • Comments

  • Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World

    John Vaillant

    Sceptre, pp. 432, £25

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Subscribe today to get 3 months' delivery of the magazine, as well as online and app access, for only £3.

  • Weekly delivery of the magazine
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Read next

Trending

Andrew O’Hagan

The Andrew problem: a short story

From the magazine
People offended by name-dropping are absolutely no fun. I’ve experimented with this concept on five continents – OK, four: Antarctica’s social whirl isn’t what it might be – and those who roll their eyes at shocking new developments in the world of celebrity are just the worst. Not content with having zero information to offer,

More on climate change

Also by Mark Cocker

Latest

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in