It is December 31, 2049, a crisp, windless night. In Westminster, crowds watch the hands of Big Ben approach midnight. In Loch Ness, a pumped storage scheme built precisely for when conditions are crisp and windless, provides the electricity to light its face.
In the well-insulated homes of those watching on TV, it also powers heat pumps that keep less adventurous revellers warm.
Some thought this impossible. Twenty-five years earlier, a largely forgotten former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, claimed people were turning against climate policies. He was wrong.
Above Trafalgar Square, the fireworks begin. After the purchase of a carbon credit, a carbon sequestration fan is already locking up one fireworks display’s worth of sin.
As the bongs echo, the crowd cheers for
