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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Justine Toh

The world is burning. Who can convince the comfortable classes of the radical sacrifices needed?

Simone Weil
French philosopher, political activist and not-quite-Catholic Simone Weil’s philosophy demanded she put everything on the line. Photograph: Photo 12/Alamy

Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The saying takes on new meaning after the hottest July ever, devastating wildfires in Greece and Canada, and the declaration by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, that we’ve left behind “global warming” for “global boiling”.

But this time our Neros – AKA governments – aren’t the only ones shirking their responsibilities. What are the rest of us doing while the world burns?

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