As the world marked International Day Against Desertification and Drought on June 17, a report by the UN outlined the threat that humanity faces from rising desertification and serious droughts, which now seem to be a commonplace occurrence.

When the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meets in the German city of Bonn in early June to review worldwide progress in the battle against this growing threat, it will be hard pressed to find any advance at all.

Those watching British news in recent weeks could not have failed to notice that the normally boring UK retail sector was vying for the top slot alongside dramatic images of the collapse of the Afghan government in the face of a Taliban onslaught.