WASHINGTON DC, Dec 15 (IPS) – As Christmas draws closer, one song is ringing the airwaves in the United States and elsewhere: White Christmas. According to the Guiness Book of World Records ‘White Christmas’ is the best-selling physical single of all time with more than 50 million copies sold.
Many know this iconic opening text:
“I dream of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know.”
Written by Irving Berlin and recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942 during the depths of World War II, this American holiday classic conveyed the nostalgia of a simpler past and the hope of a better future at the time.
But contexts change and with them meanings. Today we face a new and different kind of global threat, severe climate change which according to a recent World Economic Forum report could lead to another 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses by 2050.
What will perhaps be most striking about the text of White Christmas is the nostalgia for an earlier period when there was actually snow at the end of December, an experience that it is now expected to become rarer in many regions due to climate change.
Obviously not this December 2025 in the United States, which is still ongoing the blistering cold of a polar vortex. But other parts of the world are experiencing their warmest December in decades in the midst of what it will become the world’s second warmest year on record as Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, are rising, changing our climate.
And while there may be Christmas snow on the ground in 2026, 2027 or 2028, according to the current climate forecastsbecome becoming increasingly rare in the medium to longer term. A snowy Christmas could be forgotten in many places if we do not avoid serious climate change.
The result is the song White Christmas currently conveys a new message. The lyrics originally written to evoke a sense of nostalgia and hope must now be read more literally. “I dream of a white Christmas, just like I used to know‘ is a warning about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the drifts and destruction that severe climate change would cause.
White Christmasthis holiday classic from the past, should be heard today as a loud call to action on climate change.
Philippe Benoit is director at Global Infrastructure Advisory Services 2050 specialized in climate change.
© Inter Press Service (20251215182515) — All rights reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service
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