A Climate of Cognitive Dissonance
By Kirtan Bhana

15 December 2025
Hurricane Melissa, the largest and most forceful storm ever recorded, tore through the Caribbean with a violence that defies precedent. Jamaica bore the brunt of its fury, while across Asia, from Thailand to Vietnam and the Philippines, entire regions were submerged under unseasonal, record-breaking rainfall. These are not isolated anomalies; they are symptoms of a planetary system under extreme stress. Yet as communities count the dead and measure the ruins, global leaders gathered in Belém, Brazil, for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), engaged once again in climate discussions that feel increasingly ritualistic, detached and futile.









