Tory MPs call the green transition ‘unaffordable’. Europe is proving that’s a lie | George Monbiot

The latest wave of climate deniers claim green schemes are unaffordable'. Success stories from around Europe prove that's not true

While all eyes were on another horror, our war against the living world went nuclear. Over the weekend, temperatures at some weather stations in the Arctic rose to 30C above normal. Simultaneously, at certain weather stations in the Antarctic they hit 40C above normal. Two events, albeit off the scale, do not make a trend. But as part of a gathering record of extreme and chaotic weather, these unprecedented, simultaneous anomalies are terrifying.

On their heels came news of another horrific event: mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during a La Nina year. La Nina is the cool phase of the Pacific cycle. Until now, widespread bleaching had happened only during the warmer El Nino years. The likely impacts of the next El Nino are too awful to contemplate.

George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist. He will discuss Regenesis at a Guardian Live event on Monday 30 May. Book tickets in-person or online here