OK, the bad news – 2014 was the warmest year on record and carbon emissions are still rising. There’s still a long, long way to go.

But there are signs of hope.

Take renewable energy – which is is booming – Germany hit a record 28% of power from renewable sources in the first half of last year, the UK is at around 20% and the US 13% with all on a strong rising trend. UK Solar installations doubled in 2014 alone. As demand rises, costs are plummeting.

You might say I’m clutching at straws, but I am unashamedly upbeat for two reasons.

1. Doom and gloom turns other people off. We have to make a sustainable future an attainable desirable, even sexy, goal to bring people along with them.
2. Doom and gloom slows me down personally. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think we could ‘win’ and I am determined to help as many organisations as I possibly can. That takes a huge amount of energy and I simply couldn’t do it if I focussed purely on the negative.

Back in the days when I used to record my own music, I would muse that it’s much harder to write a good happy song than a great sad song. But that’s our challenge – being miserable is easy, being positive much more difficult. But ultimately the planet may depend on it.

So keep your pecker up!