EDITOR’S LETTER

The most important climate conference ever – COP26 in Glasgow – is finally over. World leaders, negotiators, activists, campaigners, Prince Charles, Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough and, yes, Leonardo Dicaprio, have all packed up and gone home. The commitments made during the gettogether will help to protect communities and natural habitats, but only time will tell if, after “talking the talk”, our powerful officials “walk the walk”. Will they keep their promises to work together and get serious about dealing with climate change?

Many young people are impatient for change, rather than more endless rounds of talks. You want real action, not words. Let’s not wait and see what happens – the time to act is now! You have the power to change your world – millions of small actions add up to big changes. Here are 10 essential steps you can take to be greener sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk/earth_hero. Together we all can make a difference, and with determination, dedication and diligence we can witness a wonderful recovery in your lifetimes.

This issue, we dip a toe into the amazing world of sharks.

I’ve had my mind blown with the wonder, variety and downright weirdness of modern-day sharks. They are not the mindless, man-eating killing machines they are often made out to be. These ancient creatures – the masters of their ocean world – are unexpectedly picky about what they eat. They are not even particularly aggressive – most are more wary of humans than we are of them. And did you know, you are more likely to be killed by a flying champagne cork, a falling coconut or a cow than by a shark?

Dive in and take a big bite – it’s a “fin-tastic” tale!