Tim Beighton's Letter

To my Granddaughter Lily ,

I know about our changing climate. Well before Sir David Attenborough or Prince Charles bought it to the fore with public debate the changes in my chosen career made it so obvious.
As you know my job was construction. During my 42 working years the changes I experienced made the change very clear to me.
As a young apprentice we had to put strong antifreeze in all the mortar used for laying bricks. The sand and gravel we needed to make concrete had to be defrosted using steam lancers. All of the days work had to be covered with straw and tarpaulins to protect it from minus temperatures.
None of these precautions have been necessary in the past twenty years.
Why not? Because our climate is so much warmer now in our winter
I no longer need a four wheel drive vehicle to leave home and return.
I do hope it's not too late. The wild fire's destroying acres of forest, putting carbon in the atmosphere and, at the same time, reducing the trees we rely on to capture that carbon.
Our politicians must wake up to the inevitable if we don't act now! Great Britain is an island. We are in a unique situation to use the sea that surrounds us to generate power from the tides and the currents.
Instead we lift the ban on fracking!
Lily, I'm old and will soon leave this planet. I had a great life. Make sure you and your children do by push push push the politicians. Make them listen to the science and act today.
Take great care, love you all xxx
Grandad Tim