From the Editor’s Desk
August 7, 2026
It’s not looking good and I’m genuinely worried. I’m referring to climate change and global warming. If you think the warnings are still about some distant future, think again. They are no longer tomorrow’s problem. They have become today’s reality.
Over the past month, Europe has endured one record-breaking heatwave after another. In France alone, more than 2 000 people are reported to have died as a direct result of the extreme heat, while health authorities recorded 5 764 more deaths than normal during the heatwave – describing the excess mortality as “unprecedented”. Across France, Spain and Greece, devastating wildfires forced mass evacuations and states of emergency, while temperatures in parts of Spain reached 40°C. At the same time, South Korea has been battling an equally relentless heatwave. President Lee Jae Myung summed it up perfectly when he said: “Extreme heat on a scale we have never experienced is continuing day after day. Heatwave conditions once seen only in foreign news reports have now become our reality.”
That phrase “heatwave conditions have now become our reality” struck me because it applies not only to South Korea but to the entire world. And if you’re wondering what any of this has to do with trucking, the answer is: a lot. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Ravi Menon, Singapore’s ambassador for climate action and former central bank chief, described climate change as the “mother of all supply-chain disruptions.” That isn’t some distant prediction. It is already happening. One example is the River Rhine, one of Europe’s most important freight arteries. Water levels have fallen so dramatically that cargo barges are being forced to carry lighter loads to avoid running aground. Freight is moving more slowly, transport costs are rising and supply chains are already feeling the effects. Climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue. It has become a logistics issue.
The world needs to wake up to the reality that time is running out to slow the effects of global warming. Some scientists argue that we have already passed the point where certain changes can be reversed. I hope they are wrong. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking. More accurately, it’s hope for my children and grandchildren. But hope alone won’t solve anything. The first step is accepting, as South Korea’s President said, that climate change has “now become our reality.”
That is why it concerns me when influential world leaders dismiss overwhelming scientific evidence. Climate change does not recognise national borders. Every country’s actions affect every other country. The leader of one of the world’s largest economies, US President Donald Trump, should be helping to lead the fight against climate change, not dismissing it as a “hoax” thereby leading others to question whether it exists. This is not only an American problem. It is a global one that demands global leadership – and South Africa cannot afford to think we are somehow insulated. We are not. Consider this…
Transport operators benefitted by record citrus exports this past season but there is no guarantee that will continue. Meteorologists are warning that a powerful Super El Niño – some commentators referring to it as a ‘Godzilla El Niño’ – could combine with the long-term effects of global warming to produce one of South Africa’s hottest summers in years. France has already experienced reduced grape yields after scorching temperatures stunted growth across wine-producing regions including Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Producers expect harvests to be around 10% smaller than last year. Fewer grapes don’t only mean fewer bottles of wine. They also mean fewer truckloads to move. The same principle applies across agriculture. Lower crop yields, disrupted production and damaged infrastructure ultimately translate into fewer products requiring transport, interrupted supply chains and increased operating costs. Climate change affects every link in the logistics chain.
Am I being alarmist? Perhaps. But I would rather sound the alarm than ignore the warning signs. One area that does give me encouragement is the commercial vehicle industry itself. For years, truck manufacturers have invested billions in cleaner engines, lower emissions, improved fuel efficiency and alternative-energy technologies. Whether through Euro emissions standards, battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen development or other innovations, the industry has shown a willingness to invest today for a better tomorrow. In my opinion, the trucking industry has become one of the strongest examples of an industry preparing for a future that many others are still debating. To the truck OEMs I simply say: thank you. Please keep going because climate change is no longer tomorrow’s challenge. It is now our reality.
Patrick O’Leary
Managing Editor, FleetWatch
