Ninety-seven per cent of the world’s climate scientists are now in agreement that the temperature of the climate is rising (this does not necessarily mean hotter summers, it is the average global temperature year on year) and that this rise is in response to the greater amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere which is a direct result of the burning of fossil fuels: coal which produces electricity from coal-fired power stations; petrol and diesel used for vehicles and machinery; oil and gas for central heating and cooking.

Climate scientists are also in agreement that we have to keep global temperature increase to below 2degrees centigrade of the levels of the early 1900s, otherwise we risk experiencing much more unstable weather...which means more flooding and drought, heatwaves, forest fires, rising sea levels... more unpredictable and extreme weather. Two degrees may sound like very little, but to put it into context a five degrees centigrade drop in temperature would produce another ice age and even more sobering is that there has already been a rise in temperature of 0.8 degrees centigrade (the rise significantly mirrors our increasing use of fossil fuels).

Government seems very reluctant to move away from fossil fuels, the only 'understandable’ reason for this seems to be financial incentive. If, like me, you are concerned by a future that is driven by fossil fuels then I encourage you to communicative with MP David Mundell by email, letter or in person, the more people speaking of their concerns, the louder the voice.

Today’s politicians may be the last generation that change the outcome of global warming, but it seems that is the people on the street who need to be the motivators. Please speak up.

I am, etc.

Tess Goodwin Broughton