There are certain summers that quietly become part of our collective memory, and this already feels like one of them. Weeks of exceptional heat have changed the landscape before our eyes. Lawns that would normally be green have faded to gold, gardens are showing the strain of prolonged dry weather and conversations that once began with "How are you?" now often begin with "Have you had any rain?" Across the world, headlines have been filled with heatwaves, wildfires and record temperatures, reminding us that the relationship between people and the natural world has perhaps never felt more immediate.