Environmental columnist Martin Cooper writes about why we need to pay attention to the impact of climate change.

We’ve had boiling hot days, freezing cold days and parts of the south received a month’s worth of rain in just a week!

But when the weather is cold, wet and miserable, it’s hard to remember the impact climate change is having on our planet, and the problem feels less urgent.

However, Sunday July 22 was the hottest day on earth, reaching a global average of 17.09°C surface air temperature, according to preliminary data from the European Union’s monitoring agency – until Monday 23 -  when it rose again to 17.15°C.

While the weather in the UK has been cooler than average, millions of people around the world have been experiencing heatwaves.

Japan, China, the United States and southern Europe, have been extremely hot – with temperatures up to 44°C in Spain.

Heat and humidity have combined to create oppressive effect in the Gulf, killing more than 1,300 people visiting Mecca, while high temperatures have increased the spread of forest fires in Greece, Portugal and North America.

Scientists and environmental campaigners have long called for global leaders and wealthy countries to phase out and end the reliance on fossil fuels to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, including increased heatwaves.

There is no denying that we need to change, however, the commitment from governments around the world has been pathetic to say the least.

Even the election earlier this month showed little in the way of a response to climate change – albeit there are some green shoots in the changes Labour have already committed to.

Yet again, it’s down to us to do what we can to reduce our own impact.

July was Plastic Free July – a month of raising awareness of plastic-free alternatives and inspiring long term change in the amount of plastic we use.

By reducing our plastic consumption, we can not only significantly help protect marine life, reduce pollution and preserve ecosystems, the production of plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, so reducing plastic use will help combat climate change too.

When an average person generates about 136kg of plastic waste per year, reducing our consumption will help lower the reliance we have on fossil fuels.

While we may not be experiencing extreme temperatures this summer, if we continue as we are, we will continue to see the global temperature to rise to the detriment of us all.