There are some alarming stories in the press today about how much of the Amazon rainforest will be lost due to climate change. According to a new report from the Met Office's Hadley Centre, up to 85 per cent of it will disappear if we see a 4C rise in global temperatures.

It's a nightmare scenario and on the face of it, it makes you wonder if we shouldn't just throw in the towel - I have to admit to the occasional dark thought along those lines myself. But on the contrary, information like this illustrates yet again how crucial it is that we address climate change and deforestation together, and do it now before we get locked in to huge temperature rises.

Part of the Climate Clinic blog

The Hadley Centre, part of the Met Office, has just released some research, today, in the Climate Clinic, at the Tory conference. The main headline finding is that drought is set to double this century due to climate change. A spoil-sport serious newspaper would also mention that this figure refers to 'moderate' drought. Moderate drought can still be pretty dangerous if you don't have much in the way of resources to fall back on. Generally the agriculture in a particular area is suited to that area's climate. If you have an agricultural system which requires a lot of rainfall, such as paddy fields, then even a drought which doesn't look like a drought to the average observer could ruin your harvest and lead to a famine.