Oh for the good old days, when Gordon Brown’s trickiest problem was his image. I always thought his PR team should hold him up as a modern-day Mr Darcy, in contrast to the slick Wickhams of the media-savvy political world. This leaves Mr Brown free to be as grumpy as he likes, while we all imagine the fair, kind-hearted gent smouldering beneath the gruff exterior (though not, perhaps, in a clingy wet shirt.) [Right, Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice, ©BBC]

 

As things stand, Mr Brown has more urgent issues on his plate. The terrorist threat is a real and present danger, but it shouldn’t put the real and present danger of climate change on the back burner.

June’s floods have brought the issue into sharp relief.

 

The month of June was one of the wettest on record for the UK: 

12 June 2007: Severe flooding across Northern Ireland 

15 June 2007: Flooding in North Yorkshire and The Midlands

25 June 2007: Severe flooding in Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

 

Everyone seems to be surprised by the floods, but not Guardian readers. In the 12th of June issue, Matthew Weaver reported that the government's chief scientific advisor, Sir David King had warned that global warming was already altering the climate, and that the country will have to prepare for extreme weather such as heat waves and torrential downpours. Sir David commissioned a report on flooding, and the group of 60 experts estimates that the number of people at high risk from flooding will rise from 1.6 million today to 3.6 million.

 

An Ipsos Mori poll (released today) shows that 56% of us believe scientists are still questioning climate change. In fact, we put climate change well down our list of concerns, after terrorism, graffiti, crime and even dog mess.

 

Granted, this poll was taken just before the latest floods, but would the results be different today? Perhaps not. The science is admittedly very complex, but I suspect the public clings to doubt as it enables them to preserve the status quo. I call it the Dubya Principle: The jury’s still out on climate change. Even if it happens, don't worry your pretty little head; scientists and inventors will sort it out. No need to sacrifice your luxury lifestyle – whatever you do, do not stop shopping!

 

Alas the effects of global warming are here for all to see, and it’s time to wake up and smell the carbon. So what can you do? Why not start by planting a tree. See The Native Tree Shop for, err, native trees, which have environmental advantages. All proceeds go to the Woodland Trust.

 

Not only do trees ‘inhale’ carbon dioxide and ‘exhale’ oxygen, they can reduce the amount of rainfall reaching the ground by as much as 45%. Take a closer look at the Forestry Commission’s research on forests as flood control.

 

Or you could transform a paved front garden into a proper garden again. As we continue to pave paradise, there's less natural land to soak up rainfall, and water runoff overwhelms drainage systems, exacerbating flooding.

 

Of course, we’d need to turn the whole of London into a ‘rain forest’ to cope with the downpours we’ve had this month, so greening up your patch won’t fix the two big problems humans face in the future, floods and droughts – too much water and not enough (potable) water. We have to cut carbon emissions. Today.

Back to Mr Brown. What can he do? 

*Immediately stop plans for new coal-fired power stations.

*Immediately stop plans for airport expansion. 

*Toughen the Climate Change Bill to enforce more stringent annual cuts in carbon emissions. (We will not meet targets for 2010 – partly because Mr Brown as Chancellor didn’t want to get tough on businesses and risk an economic downturn.)

*Ensure that Hilary Benn, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has climate change at the heart of all policies, and also works to strengthen the Climate Change Bill.

*Ensure that Transport Minister Ruth Kelly creates strong transport policies that reflect climate concerns.

*Ensure that Chancellor Alistair Darling doesn’t create economic policies in a vacuum but with a view to environmental issues. New eco-friendly technologies can bring new economic growth, so incentives for investment and development seem a logical place to start. 

 

Climate chaos is not just a terrible legacy we will leave to our grandchildren. It is affecting the planet now. The 'Inconvenient Truth' must become 'A Truth Universally Acknowledged'.