Part 2: 2028-2030

— 2028 —

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.

Paris hasn't changed much. The traffic is just as bad, although electric vehicles have really taken off here, so the streets are not as smoggy as they used to be. 'Living walls' are in vogue in the trendier districts, too – whole apartment buildings covered in plants, they are quite something! I like them, but Bertram thinks they encourage too many pigeons. And Notre Dame remains impressive even though it is still covered in scaffolding. I was taking my Bachillerato exams when it burnt, it was huge news at the time; but the world has seen fire after fire since then, and this little one was forgotten so quickly.

There were plenty of journalists around back in 2015 but nothing compared to today. COP34 is meant to be a big one, or so they say. I don't want to be a pessimist but I already know what's going to happen: all these old grey-haired politicians will gather together, lament about what a terrible place the world has become, how we must do more to solve it, and then do nothing about it. They will get some 'motivational' speakers in – probably that woman that started the school strikes when she was a teenager, what is her name? It's the same every year. The whole thing feels like politics is in stasis, while the world changes around us.

It's not just journalists on the streets; there are activists everywhere, too. They look scarily organised! They have already been gluing themselves to the Eiffel Tower, to the banks, the government buildings. Yesterday they were marching huge effigies of politicians through the streets. Putin was there, Xi Jingpin, even our very own Ms Marchbank! They were going to burn them, but the gendarmes confiscated them straight away. Perhaps for the best – we don't need any more fire, after all.

I am sure the activists have something big planned for when the conference starts, but I don't know what. Every year it feels more and more like there will be violence. People are people, after all; it must be hard to be so angry, for so long, without lashing out. And most of the journalists are only goading them on, of course. It's a miracle that there hasn't been any bloodshed, in my opinion. I'll let you know what happens, but don't worry, I'll make sure that I don't get too caught up in it.

Do let me know how the job applications are going. Looking at the conference pack I have been given, I think the UN desperately needs a decent graphic designer. Have you considered applying there?? I'm joking of course, although you are rather good at what you do, so maybe it could be worth pursuing…

Jules messaged me the other day, asking if we could look after their new puppy while he and Marcus visit his family in the US. I said he should ask you – you wouldn't mind, would you? I don't know if Mothy would get on with it, but it can't do her any harm to be exposed to something new!

I've been invited to some sort of stakeholder dinner this evening. Sounds incredibly dull but the food should be good at least. Missing you always.

Love,

Maria x

My lovely Maria,

Sounds like there's a lot going on in Paris at the moment. I haven't been since I was a kid. You'll have to tell me more about this 'Paolo' guy at some point – sounds like I've got competition! You know, I never did understand why Paris was meant to a romantic city, I just thought it smelt bad and was full of crazy drivers. I doubt that's changed. On the subject of romance, that reminds me: we must get that Venice trip booked in. I know it's six months away, but the hotels book up so fast now that everyone knows its days are numbered. I'll send you some links to look at.

Glad you're planning on staying safe. Out of all the protestors you could choose to fraternise with, these are probably the least risky – but France doesn't have a great record when it comes to protests staying peaceful, so do watch out… I suppose that's what centuries of revolution does to a country! Also, did you know Abby is in the thick of it there? I saw a post in Instagram – she's in full rebel mode. Maybe drop her a line, I'm sure she'd love to see a familiar face (although I bet she'll try to rope you in to the protests)!

Sorry to hear you're not feeling optimistic about the conference. I'm not as in the loop as much as I should be, but I heard someone on the BBC say there are hopes they'll introduce a proper global carbon tax this year – does that look likely from where you are? Looking forward to reading your article, which I'm sure will cover it.

Regarding that puppy, he's chewing on my shoelaces as I write this. His name is Ferdinand and he is a menace. I'm booking in a carpet cleaner for before you get back – I'm sure you can guess the story there. But even though he's hard work, he is very sweet and I'm enjoying having him around. I can't say the same for Mothy – she won't come downstairs for love nor money at the moment. She has never been the most tolerant of cats!

Job applications are so-so. I still have a few freelance projects ticking away to tide me by. In fact, that investment company got back in touch – it's time for their next annual report. I don't know though, they're still very invested in oil, and I'm not sure my conscience can hack it this year. I was thinking I might write them a formal rejection and let them know the reasons why too. What do you reckon, is that a bit much? Would love your opinion.

All my love,

Jonah x

— 2029 —

Hi love,

It is HOT here. Dangerously hot. I'm in Mina City, not far at all from Mecca – tents as far as the eye can see, millions of pilgrims everywhere, and a few thousand struggling air conditioning units. It's the hottest it's ever been on record here. It's difficult to think straight. Sorry if this email isn't up to my usual standards! I'm staying in a big tent with about two dozen other journalists. We only have one air conditioning unit between us, and we're sweating buckets. I'm just hoping the water supplies last.

Nobody is travelling any further in the daytime. Even stepping outside feels like you're being roasted alive. I've heard several hundred pilgrims have died of heat exhaustion already. From my shamefully limited knowledge of Islam, I understand that this journey has to be undertaken by all Muslims at least once in their lives, but I just don't see how that will be possible as things get hotter and hotter. Could it become a nocturnal pilgrimage? The whole region is becoming depopulated, as crops are withering, aquifers are drying up, even cattle are collapsing. Will the whole area become a new 'dead zone'?

Sorry this is such a dramatic-sounding email. I'm going to have to wrap it up soon because my laptop is in danger of overheating. My phone is already fried, so you might not be able to call. Some journalists from Boston are talking about chartering a helicopter to take them to Riyadh, and I'm tempted to see if I can get a lift. It will be expensive, and this article won't get finished, but I just don't think I can stay here much longer. It's a shame, because I think it is so important to report on this sort of thing.

Send my love to all the London lot. Hoping I'll be back home soon.

Love,

Maria x

My wonderful Maria,

Are you alright??? I tried phoning but couldn't get through to you. Get out of there soon please, I agree it doesn't sound worth it, not one bit. If that air con packs up or the water runs out, you'll be in real trouble!

Call me as soon as you can please. I love you.

Love,

Jonah x

— 2030 —

Hey lovely,

So, I finally met Ricardo Montoya yesterday! To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with him. I suppose I expected more from a billionaire, but he just seemed conceited and even a little dense. He did, however, serve me some very nice wine. It was a 2017 South African vintage, apparently the last good year the country had.

Anyway, why am I talking about the wine? I should be telling you about his project. He's got this grand idea to solve climate change all at once. I still need to fact-check this with his PR brigade, but here's the premise: he wants to build gigantic hot air balloons, float them from really long tethers, and use them to pump vast quantities of sulphates into the atmosphere. The particles will reflect sunlight back into space before it reaches the ground and therefore stop global warming in its tracks. Crazy!

It did get me thinking why nobody has done this before. I looked it up online after the interview and it actually sounds very risky. For one thing, it could destroy the monsoon season for places like India and west Africa, and upset a lot of other weather patterns besides. It wouldn't tackle ocean acidification, so there would be no chance of ever getting any coral reefs back. It also means that if we start, we would have to keep doing it forever; if we stopped, the prevented warming effect would hit all at once, which would be catastrophic.

I've managed to book in another interview with him for a few days' time, where I'll ask him about this. The thing is, I'm not sure anybody could actually stop him doing this if he decided to go ahead anyway. The rich and powerful do what they like, right? Should be a good scoop, anyway, and Michael has already got some great snaps. I know Fred at HQ is pleased, so hopefully there will be a nice commission coming up.

Sorry for that info dump – the more I learn about this sort of thing, the more interesting (and scary!) it becomes. LA is basically what I expected. Lots of palm trees, lots of very tanned people with very white teeth, lots of gigantic water cannons around the city. The fires haven't been so bad here the last few years, but I think the cannons make people feel a lot safer regardless.

Do you have any news? Has Emma got any less controlling at work? What's your new intern like? I want to hear everything, as always.

Love,

Maria x

My darling Maria,

Ricardo sounds like a right arse, and a dangerous one too. I'm always suspicious of billionaires. Nobody can make that much money without doing some downright shady things. You know he made his fortune in fracking tech? Such a hypocrite.

His climate engineering idea is intriguing. I don't think he's the first to have it, but maybe the first with the means to make it a reality. Do you really think nobody could stop him? Aren't there laws in place to prevent people interfering with the global climate? As I write that I realise how silly it sounds – that's what fossil fuel companies have been doing for years, after all. At least they're finally getting taxed, but it's still not enough in my opinion.

Emma is just the same. The power's really gone to her head since the promotion. Even though I'm still the newbie, I'm already feeling a bit sick of the place. No matter how 'trendy' and 'vibey' you can make the office, with beanbags and mood lighting and all that rubbish, it's still a mediocre marketing consultancy.

New intern is great, though, and very switched-on. She was busy adjusting the website code on the first day, and I must say it does look better! On the downside, she makes terrible coffee, although I guess that's not her fault – it's so expensive and difficult to come by these days, young people just don't bother with it. Look at me, saying 'young people' like we're ancient! That does remind me though – book off 1st – 12th July if you can, I have a surprise for your 30th...

In other news, my parents have had some unwelcome news. They found out last week the predicted selling price of their house has suddenly halved. Turns out that the Environment Agency has released new projections on sea level rise, and the whole of Spalding is due to be flooded within seven years. Their insurance has gone through the roof too. Do you remember when we said they should think about moving back in 2027, during the Fen floods? If only they had! Dad says they are now going to sell up at the first opportunity before the price drops any further. They'll have to downgrade – that place they were thinking about in Derbyshire is now well out of their budget. Really sucks, but not sure there's much to be done about it.

On a positive note, Marcus and Jules' adoption process has finally come through! The kid's called Jordan and is 8 years old, should be moving in before the end of the month. That'll be a shock to their way of life, but I have no doubt they'll be great parents.

That's all for now. Let me know how the second interview goes – and see if you can nab a bottle of that wine…

Love,

Jonah x