If you want to see unexpected hope, head for Blyth in a high north wind. Here the east coast is bleak and low, and the spume-filled sea lashes the sandy bay. This is carbon country and the legacy of coal which contributes so much to global warming is everywhere.
Unused seams stretch miles out to sea and the abandoned pits sprout mostly grass.
The old coal-fired power station will close soon. The waves slam in on them reaching almost to their fog horns 15 metres up. These, the largest offshore wind turbines in the world, have been tested for the past three months. This morning the first kilowatts start trickling into the grid. By next month, all going well, enough energy to power 1,500 homes a year will be on stream.