Thank you, Paul Brown, for your final warning on the climate and civilisation

‘Paul Brown’s heartfelt final reflections are far deeper than a mere progress report of his career.’ Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

By now we all know the truth spoken by the Guardian’s venerable former environmental journalist Paul Brown from his hospital bed (‘I have watched politicians failing yet and yet again’: lessons from a life as an environment writer, 28 November). Politicians have routinely failed basic leadership principles on even the most profound issues. The US government has taken this to appalling levels, and much of the UK opposition tries to do so too.

Brown and John Vidal’s work – now taken forward by Fiona Harvey, Damian Carrington, Phoebe Weston, Damien Gayle and others at the Guardian – highlights the reality gap between the best of science and the worst of political leadership.