Consider the heatwave and floods: can we still save the planet for our children? I think we can | Gaia Vince

It is easy to despair as we leave one geological epoch and enter another. Our situation is dire, but we can address it

Land temperatures have hit 60Cin Spain, satellite data shows, with tourists warned to stay off beaches throughout the Mediterranean. Across the pond, more than 100 million Americans are still under extreme heat warnings. When the heat dome" squatting over the south sent thermometers soaring to 56C in Death Valley , it was close to the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

The sea is little cooler, with Florida ocean temperatures well above 30C. Further north on land, people are being rescued by dinghies and helicopters from suburban streets as heavy rain causes flooding across Pennsylvania and New York and into New England. Vermont has declared a state of emergency. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of the midwest, and a severe thunderstorm watch for other states. Parts of Canada have been on fire for months.

Gaia Vince is the author of Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval