Media personality Janet Mbugua has raised concerns about how seriously climate change is being treated, saying the effects are no longer a distant problem but something people are experiencing in their everyday lives.
In a post shared today, October 8, Janet said she had been “fretting and sweating more than usual,” acknowledging that perimenopause could contribute to the sweating but adding that the extreme heat was also a major factor.
“You feel it, yes?” she asked, before noting that “Earth is just casually heating up, and none of us is above the program!”
Heat is affecting everyday life
In her voice note, Janet reflected on how her own experience with the recent heat had changed the way she viewed conversations about climate change.
She admitted that she had previously been a sceptic, saying she used to question the agenda behind discussions about climate change. However, she said experiencing unusually high temperatures had made the issue feel much more real.
“Last night, I sweated like I was being paid to sweat,” Janet said, explaining that burning fuel releases gases that trap heat like a “thick blanket”, making it difficult for people to sleep comfortably.
She also raised concerns about pregnant women, saying excessive heat can affect pregnancies and potentially contribute to premature births, low birth weight and pregnancy loss.
Janet further pointed to infrastructure, explaining that heat can cause materials such as metal to expand and contribute to problems affecting roads and buildings.
Concern over preparedness
Janet said the effects extend beyond heat, highlighting floods, drought, landslides and difficult commutes as other ways climate change can affect daily life.
She also mentioned El Niño, warning that it could bring additional heat alongside floods and drought.
In her written post, Janet referenced research she had been learning about on the effects of extreme heat on pregnancy. She also questioned international efforts to address the crisis, noting that oil companies had significant representation at global climate meetings while promised funding to help vulnerable countries had reportedly been pushed to 2035.
“The Global South pay the highest price,” she said in her voice note, arguing that countries such as those in Africa often bear serious consequences despite contributing less to global emissions.
Janet ultimately called on people to question their leaders about disaster preparedness.
“So ask whoever represents you one thing: what’s the plan for disaster preparedness?” she wrote.
She has highlighted the need to treat climate change as an immediate everyday concern rather than a distant environmental debate.
