Hi Joanna,

Are you still upset I took the assignment? I understand what you said about compromises, but I cannot compromise on this. It could be the story of the decade, and I cannot just wear one of those DR helmets to experience it. I have to be here in person…

My darling Joanna,

I'm writing this looking out the carriage window as dawn breaks over the Siberian tundra. The first rays of sunlight are glinting off the surface of a frozen lake that stretches as far as the eye can see. I can feel the regular rhythm of the train beating beneath me…

Hey Joanna,

I'm still thinking of that weekend on the Isle of Wight. You know how I am, not voicing my emotions as often as I should, but – well, I will not forget our time there for quite some time. It feels like I have known you forever, and yet also for a vanishingly small amount of time. I suppose I had sort of given up on love, on romance, and all the rest of it, after Enya died. It hardly occurred to me to look for it again; and then it came to me of its own accord. You are wonderful…

Hi Joanna,

How are things at the office? Has Fred calmed down since the intern incident?

Paris is an interesting place at the moment! There is a similar atmosphere to 2015, but more so, if that makes sense. Did you know COP21 was one of my first ever foreign assignments? And certainly the first with any sort of environmental focus. How times change. COP34 is looking like it could be the biggest political event this year, and that's even with the US elections coming up…

Hello Joanna,

I hope all is well back in London. Thank you for looking after me after my little breakdown in the office last week. I assure you that sort of thing doesn't happen often, as I'm usually very adept at keeping it all in. It was not a very dignified moment for me, but your sympathy was much appreciated, as was your offer to write to me while I'm away…

Hi Jonah

It feels like a while since we've talked, so I just thought I'd let you know how I'm doing. You don't have to reply if you don't want to.

Birmingham is quite a nice place to live, although extremely crowded. Every second person you meet here is an ex-Londoner. The council is building new flats all around the edge of the city at an insane rate, and it's still not fast enough to cope with the exodus. I got lucky getting an apartment at all.

As promised, the first physical letter I have written in over a decade! Do you like my handwriting? I hope this reaches you in time – the Californian postal service is stretched to the max, as you might imagine. The floods hardly even seemed that dramatic, until the internet suddenly shut down across the entire city. Then there was panic in the streets!

Hi my love,

Just a quick email to set your mind at rest, as I expect you have seen the news. I'm fine and safe. Bertram and I are staying quite far out of the city on Long Island and the hurricane only brushed past us. The windows shook a bit and there were umbrellas and sheets of corrugated iron blowing down the street, but nothing more. Manhattan and Brooklyn are by far the worst areas affected. Have you seen that picture of the Statue of Liberty, with the spike on her headpiece all bent over?..

Hey honey,

How are you? It's funny to be back in Paris – did I tell you I went to the climate conference here in 2015? Thirteen years ago! My class had come up from Barcelona on a school trip. I was dating this boy Paolo at the time. I haven't told you about him, have I! I hope you're not jealous… To be honest, he was a bad kisser anyway, and not at all interested in French culture. The world has changed an awful lot since then…

Good morning my love,

It's late evening here, but even though I've been here a few days I still haven't quite adjusted to the time difference. I wonder if you're up yet? I have the feeling you might be making the most of your newfound freelance hours to have a lie-in…