Wow, another heatwave! This time, a little shorter, but today was intensely hot. This evening, the air is cooler and the temperatures are due to return to normal from tomorrow. There are droughts and wildfires all over the UK, and the farmers have been really struggling, with yields down and livestock already using winter feed because the pastures have dried up.

And yet, we are privileged in this country to be relatively insulated from the extreme weather events occurring across the planet. We complain about the weather a lot (it is, after all something of a national pastime!) but our experience is far removed from the disasters which frequently befall lower income countries which are nearer the equator.

I find it really easy to slip into pessimism about the impending climate catastrophe and the lack of political will to make the necessary changes to avoid or at least mitigate the worst outcomes. However, I recently read an article which gave me hope that we may be approaching a tipping point, where the population’s behaviour as we change what we buy and how we live makes it increasingly ridiculous for governments to continue to be persuaded by the economic arguments of the oil and gas industry.

Let’s hope the tipping point really is around the corner, and we can look forward to a better future.