PEOPLE sometimes say the climate emergency does not feel real, or that is must be a worry for many decades or centuries ahead.

Respected scientists actually believe it’s a big problem for our children and grandchildren, and not some hard to imagine distant ancestors of the future. The latest warning that things are turning faster than once feared came over Christmas when it was reported that 2023 was the second hottest year on record in the United Kingdom.

Temperatures in summer have been scorching on certain days, while winter has actually proved milder than some might have forecast – and wetter. Countless predictions suggest we should now expect long dry summers followed by warm and rainy winters.

Already, people are dealing with how to get through a heatwave or a flooding. Beyond these shores, collective records from 2023 are expected to show that it was the hottest year ever for the planet.

Of course, it can all seem rather overwhelming and we know that people often feel futile, asking what can little ol’ me do about this ginormous challenge? If we all end up feeling like that then the hurdles will get harder to navigate.

And this is why we produce special supplements: a chance to engage people in the debate and see how simple changes – be it retrofitting or swapping short car journeys for a bike – can collectively create an encouraging response.

We do not feel disheartened when we meet the people driving the climate change agenda in Islington. The opposite, their enthusiasm and energy is infectious.

Hopefully some of it will be shine through in our articles.

As always, we welcome your thoughts – why not write a letter for next week’s newspaper with your ideas for a positive response?

Finally, a thank you to the sponsors whose support has allowed us to clear pages of regular advertising to bring you as many articles as possible.