As furnace-like heatwaves fan wildfires across France, Spain and Italy – burning an area four times the size of Paris in Bordeaux alone and evoking scenes reminiscent of wartime firebombing – attention is being refocused on the physical realities of climate change.Sensible climate policy relies on economic realism. Pragmatists such as UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch rightly argue that fossil fuels like oil and gas remain part of the energy mix during a transition, to shield families and businesses from higher power bills.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles