ABC News' Alan Kohler delivers alarming message on live TV
Esteemed finance presenter Alan Kohler has shocked viewers after delivering an urgent message about during his nightly finance segment on ABC News. Kohler initially stuck to his regular topic of finance with insights into 's economic outlook and updates on Australian mortgage rates, before he pivoted to address the gravity of climate change a topic that took many by surprise. 'The extent of Antarctic sea ice is at a new record low, quite a bit lower than last year's record low,' he said. 'That's not finance yet, but it will be.' The veteran journalist's bold departure from his usual finance segment garnered high praise from Australians, who commended his efforts in bringing attention to climate change. Climate change campaigner Sophie McNeill praised the reporting as 'brilliant'. 'Alan runs through latest global inflation, mortgage rate, and then shows us the latest Antarctic record-low sea ice levels, concluding "thats not finance yet, but it soon will be".' A second added: 'Alan's the best. And he gets it.' A third said 'time for everyone in the media to do same,' while a fourth dubbed the news as a 'terrifying reality being ignored by govts'. A fourth said: 'Thanks Alan Kohler for using your platform to remind us that thriving economies are based on thriving ecosystems. Time to reframe their importance by including global warming and state of the environment summaries in every evening news broadcast.' Another added: 'He truly is a person who is head and shoulders above many other finance analysts. Fearless and authoritative.' A minority were unimpressed with Kohler's warning, saying that he should solely concentrate on reporting economics and finance. 'Stop with the climate crisis fear porn,' one said. 'Hmmm, perhaps he should stick to finance,' a second added. 'Hey Alan, perhaps stick to guessing about finance,' a third added. 'Poor Alan, wrong on his major economic calls so he's taken on climate,' a fourth said. On Monday, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed preliminary data showing the hottest week ever on on record, unprecedented sea surface temperatures, and Antarctic sea ice loss. Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for June since satellite observations began, at 17 per cent below average, breaking the previous June record by a significant margin. Throughout the month, the daily Antarctic sea ice extent remained at unprecedented low values for the time of year. There was about 2.6million square kilometers of Antarctic sea ice loss compared to the long-term average of the satellite era, and almost 1.2million square kilometers compared to the previous record in 2022. 'That is a really dramatic drop in the sea ice extent in Antarctica,' said Dr Omar Baddour, chief of climate monitoring at WMO. The World Meteorological Organisation said the record-breaking temperatures on land and in the ocean could have potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment. 'We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Nino develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,' professor Christopher Hewitt, WMO Director of Climate Services, said. 'This is worrying news for the planet.'