Andrew Forrest in grim warning on climate
The death toll from ‘lethal humidity’ would far exceed that of a future AI-led hot war, Andrew Forrest says.
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest says he has directly briefed the White House, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the imminent danger to humanity from “lethal humidity”.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after an address to the Boao Forum in Perth in which he warned that millions of lives were at risk without greater action on climate change.
Dr Forrest said he had taken his warnings to the world’s most powerful governments and had spent “most of the day” at the White House just over a month ago.
“I briefed a series of people in defence, security, industry and energy, I had instant reaction from the Oval Office. I have briefed Prime Minister Modi, and I’ve briefed Premier Li,” he said. “And I’m not getting pushback.”
World leaders had agreed with him that lethal humidity could be more deadly than a full-scale hot war driven by artificial intelligence technology. Yet he continued to meet heavy resistance when trying to shift critical minerals or technology between the US, China and India amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the nations.
“I get emotional about this because I’m at the front end of this, I’m trying to get joint ventures up in North America, in India, in China, to really get the green energy industry going and I’ve been blocked by geostrategic pinheads who are making policy that their leaders know will kill more people,” he said. “A hot AI driven war will be the worst war we’ve ever seen, and will be small losses compared to global warming.”
Global humidity was rising at a higher rate than global temperatures and the human body was not evolved to cope. While many in the western world could sit inside with airconditioning, billions of people around the world could not. High levels of humidity were particularly deadly because the human body struggled to regulate its internal temperature.
“If you can’t exhaust that heat, you’re going to cook pretty quickly,” he said. “You’re a thermo-regulated organism. It’s a survival advantage, until global warming … Lethal humidity is already here.”
He would try to take a resolution to the G20 in New Delhi next month calling for governments to compel business into action.
“It’s business which is causing global warming. It’s business which will kill your children, it’s business which is responsible for lethal humidity. But it’s policies which guide business. You must hold us to account. Don’t let us, with our clever advertising, blame you the consumer or you the public or you the individual, that’s rubbish.
“Business, guided by government, will either destroy or save this planet. Hold us to account.”
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