CLIMATE emergency has been announced as the word of the year by the Oxford University Press.
The Oxford word of the year is awarded to a word or expression that reflects the mood of the year overall. This year that expression is 'climate emergency' an expression used to describe the urgent action required to reduce climate change and avoid environmental damage.
The expression of climate emergency has been so prevalent in the past year that all of the shortlisted words also reflect the issue of our climate.
Other shortlisted phrases include climate action, climate denial, climate crisis, eco-anxiety, ecocide, extinction, flight shame, global heating, net-zero and plant-based.
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It suggests a whole vocabulary is emerging to describe the climate emergency and the actions that can be taken against it.
Climate emergency has cultural significance for 2019 and Oxford University Press say that research shows a demonstrable rise in the language people are using to articulate ideas, information and concerns related to the climate.
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Climate emergency has surpassed all other types of emergency from health to family and has become the most written about emergency this year.
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