Photograph captures the human reality of climate change

Sir, – The photograph accompanying Caroline O’Doherty’s report on Cop31 (“Climate extremes ‘off the charts’ as countries gather for Cop31 summit”, Climate crisis, November 9th), showing people navigating a flooded cemetery in the Philippines, somehow captures the human reality of climate change more powerfully than statistics.

We speak of climate change as a threat to future generations, yet here it is disrupting even the places where past generations are remembered. Most importantly, homes and livelihoods are at risk; but so too are culture, memory and belonging. This photograph captures that in a frightening way.

As world leaders gather for Cop31, the people in this photograph cannot wait for another round of promises. Climate justice demands that those most responsible for the crisis bear their fair share of the cost of addressing it and understand how and why they should do so. – Yours, etc,

GERTRUDE COTTER,