Catherine Conlon: Are planes falling out of the skies?

Will terrifying episodes involving turbulence act as the final wake-up call governments need to address climate change, asks Catherine Conlon

The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence last week. The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said. Photo: AP/Sakchai Lalit

As I write this, biblical rain pours down, lightning streaks flash across the sky and roads, fields and homes are flooded across the county — again.

Heat, rainfall and weather events continue to break records all over the world. Sea temperatures are rising, oceans are acidifying, animals are falling out of trees as they overheat while a million species are at risk of extinction.