Compared to jet-set Messi I’m a raging eco warrior!

CODE RED for humanity’ – the UN’s climate change SOS – certainly grabs the attention, even if, like me, you’re a touch lackadaisical in the green behaviour department.

No one wants the world burnt to a crisp in the next millennium, or possibly sooner, but it’s not so simple knowing what to do to stop it happening.

When it comes to the difficult decisions, we’re all slithering around, negotiating with ourselves over what is feasible, telling ourselves little lies to get around things.

A couple of months back I had to get a new car and naturally considered electric. But in the end I didn’t go for one because it was going to cost me twice as much a month on the lease and there are hardly any chargers near where I live.

I justified this decision by convincing myself that I don’t drive that much anyway so

I’m not doing as badly as people with second homes who clock up thousands of petrol-guzzling miles. Even though I know, deep down, that short urban journeys are exactly the type where electric cars can really help with pollution.

Then, the other day, propelled by Code Red guilt, I attempted to rinse out my empty Ecover washing-up liquid bottle before recycling. The amount of water it took to get the determined suds out of just one bottle was insane. So what to do? Bung it in the landfill, waste water, or risk contaminating the plastic bin with a soapy bottle?

Making such daily decisions has led to a whole pack of get-out-of-jail-free excuses. A friend argued that she was allowed a certain degree of licence because she hadn’t produced any children who would be using up Earth’s natural resources, so it surely mattered