Green alert! We all have a part to play in saving our planet earth

The first I ever heard of global warming was in the late ’80s when I discovered my hairspray was killing the ozone layer. The blanket of gas that acts as a giant sunscreen for the planet was dangerously depleted, and the chemicals used in aerosols, fridges and air conditioners were to blame.

It was apocalyptic stuff. Scientists said if we didn’t do anything about it, the earth would be scorched and we would all get skin cancer.

My school friends and I were easily going through a bottle of Silvikrin a week. My dad joked we were singlehandedly responsible. I was so alarmed I started using sugar and water to keep my fan fringe in place: my first, small, act of environmentalism.

Thankfully, CFCs were banned by dozens of countries, almost overnight.

Experts say if it hadn’t been for that ban, the world would be on track for a collapse of the ozone layer and an additional 2.5 degrees of global warming.

It proves that the global community can act together to avert disaster, but it also teaches us that individuals have a responsibility, too.

It’s never been more important to act so, this week, as Cop26 begins in Glasgow, we have dedicated the issue to the green cause. From the clothes we buy to the food we eat, we have advice to help you make a difference.

I’ll leave the last word to folk singer, activist and mother Karine Polwart. She tells us on pages 6&7:“We can’t make the big political changes but there’s a grassroots changing of behaviour that we can have influence on.We have no alternative but to be hopeful and work together.”