Since my last column we have learned from the World Meteorological Organisation that 2018 is on course to be the fourth warmest year on record.

The organisation's State of the Climate report says that the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years, with the period 2015-2018 making up the top four.

This is just one of a several reports in the last few weeks on the current and future impact of the global warming of the planet..

If we continue along the current pathway, sea levels will rise, millions will be flooded out of their homes, millions (possibly billions) of people will be without a reliable fresh water supply, diseases will spread, there may be food shortages, 30 per cent of species will most likely die, and the coral reefs will disappear.

Another very recent official report, this time from the US government, stated : “While mitigation and adaptation efforts have expanded substantially in the last four years, they do not yet approach the scale considered necessary to avoid substantial damages to the economy, environment, and human health over the coming decades.”

The case for climate change denial is well and truly destroyed by these recent reports. Let’s not kid ourselves any longer - we need to act now.

However, all is not lost. As the reports indicate, we still have time - but not a lot. We can avoid the worst case scenarios, but we need to all work quickly and collaboratively.

I attended a presentation recently on Ashton Hayes, a village in Cheshire that collectively decided to become carbon neutral.

It was very uplifting to learn how a community can work together to significantly reduce carbon usage, and to increase carbon capture. It was also very encouraging to see how each individual's actions to reduce carbon usage, can add up to a significant contribution.

If you think your community might be interested in following the trail blazed by Ashley Hayes, please do get in touch. Or if you just want to know what you can do as an individual, let me know, and I will happily send you a list of ideas. Email g.archibald@southlakeland.gov.uk.