Oxford Dictionary Has Declared ‘Climate Emergency’ The Word Of The Year

Summing up anything in one word can sometimes seem impossible, let alone choosing one word to best describe the events of an entire 12 months. But, each and every year Oxford dictionary does just that.  announcing their word of the year which has attracted a great deal of interest over the last 12 months, and 2019’s word is, well, upsetting.

2017 and 2018 delighted us with the inspiring words youthquake and justice as their words of the year, but 2019? Well, 2019 can suck one because its word is the unnerving phrase ‘climate emergency’.

But, with the way 2019 has shaped up, is it really any wonder that this was the most popular word? According to the announcement, the word has seen a ‘four-fold increase since 2013’.

The phrase is defined by Oxford as: “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.”

It’s likely that a certain Greta Thunberg has played a hand in making the word’s popularity rise. Sparking multiple movements and protests which went on to take place all over the world, Greta and co demanded governments and world leaders to take action against the changing nature of the planet’s environment.

While the word does serve as a stark reminder of the inevitable demise of our world, it also does show that people are listening up – and with people’s attention we can move one step closing to solving this awful ‘climate emergency’.

Here’s hoping that something light and airy like ‘cupcake’ will be the word of 2020, *sigh*.

Other prominent words like influencer, cancel, non-binary and hope-punk also made this year’s shortlist.

• climate change
• climate emergency
• word of the year