Thornbury and Yate MP Claire Young's latest column

Climate change is here and we all feel its effects.

We have just lived through our fifth heatwave and remain in sustained drought.

Reservoir levels are dangerously low and we are unprepared for weather like this, from schools and workplaces without air conditioning, to the parched soil we grow our food in.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average, and already about 2.5 degrees warmer than in the 19th century.

On current trends, this may be among the coolest summers we will ever know.

Already I see cracked ground across every field and farm, and our food production is suffering.

This week I visited a local arable farm.

The planting season was kind to them and they expected to harvest nearly 10 tons a hectare.

The summer had other plans - they barely made seven.

Other farmers tell the same story.

Dairy farmers are especially exposed as with the grass dying, they have already had to start feeding their cows from the stocks that would usually be reserved for winter.

I support sustainable farming.

Planting hedgerows and trees will not help this year, but it will in the years to come.

For the many dairy herds locally, shade for cattle in this heat is essential, and natural water storage through ponds and trenches will help too.

But for arable farmers, while research into drought-resistant crops may help in the longer term, there is little to be done against climate change in the short term.

That should concern us all.

With farmers already hit by rising costs for fuel and fertiliser thanks to Trump's illegal Iran war, a poor harvest could see spiralling food prices.

At the same time, it is becoming harder for farmers to stay in business, threatening our future food security.

Government could offer relief now through measures like cutting tax on red diesel.

Reversing the family farm tax and protecting the farming budget may help farmers plan for the shocks to come, but they need sustained help.

Further investment is needed in both sustainable farming and research and innovation.

The lasting answer also needs a shift in how we shop and eat.

The farmer I visited spoke passionately about backing British and supporting local farmers, and I am behind them.

Our farmers need our collective support.