Cut off from water supplies due to the latest storm hitting the UK – at least that is what is claimed. It was a wild one for those of us living in the south-west, but I didn’t think Kent suffered that badly. Whatever the cause, resilience of our infrastructure is going to be tested year in, year out. If climate scientists are right, with each year passing the intensity gets worse – more storms, harsher weather an even greater impact upon communities.

But it will be OK, as we work towards net zero our challenges will subside, won’t they?

This is the tricky bit. With reports detailing UK compliance costs to achieve net zero now being counted in the trillions, not billions, the public will rightly expect the impact of climate change to go away. Spending those sums of money, you would expect so. But that’s not how it works.

Carbon emissions are a global problem, to which the UK contributes 1 per cent. The remaining 99 per cent are outside of our control; even if we do spend the trillions involved, if others don’t follow then our infrastructure, our way of life will continue to be under threat despite having spent trillions mitigating the UK’s emissions.

Who is going to tell the public that flooding will get worse; hot summer droughts will hit more frequently; downed power lines caused by high winds with all the inconvenience that goes with it, now happening more often. Who will be then brave enough to ask the public to pay more to deal with these impacts? Only someone very brave I would venture (and I mean “brave” in the Yes Minister sense).

Net zero is reaching a tipping point, where the public are increasingly sceptical about the costs and benefits. The sums involved are beyond the comprehension of most people but they will understand that spending these amounts and not feeling the benefits is not an option they will support.