IT’s that time of the year when the great, the good and Greta all troop off once again to the annual COP extravaganza in a vain bid to save the planet.

Quite what can be achieved in 12 months is unclear but they will all have headed to the UAE, regardless. And why wouldn’t you? The weather’s nice there at this time of year.

It’s certainly better than the cold snap we’re currently experiencing here, which is not exactly surprising as we head into December.

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COP28 also marks two years since Glasgow was thrust onto the global stage as the host of COP26.

During the fortnight it was on, social media was ablaze with sightings of Barack Obama in Greggs on Byres Road, the Queen in the queue for Clatty Pat’s, and a drunk president of China wrestling folk in the taxi rank outside Central Station.

None of which were true, sadly, but it got us locals through the dark weeks of November with a smile.

Of course, there will be serious issues discussed at COP28, targets set, a treaty signed and then everyone will be off back home to probably forget about it all.

The main issue is to try to reduce the rate of global warming to keep it within a rise of less than 1.5C in the coming years, with it currently being projected to rise by around 2C instead.

This could have catastrophic effects in many parts of the world and is certainly something that we should help try to and achieve.

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But, here in Scotland, even a 2C rise will barely scratch the surface as it will raiser our annual average temperature from a mere 9C to the giddy heights of 11C.

That is, of course, missing the point of needing to reduce carbon emissions, which we all need to do.

Scotland will be affected by global warming and this week a team of academics published a paper advising how pensioners can adapt to climate change.

Pensioners, apparently, will be much harder hit by extreme weather so we should act now to protect them in the future.

In their report, titled Healthy Ageing in a Changing Climate, researchers identify a need for “actionable” interventions to better support the delivery of inclusive, climate resilient age-friendly cities and communities.

They propose measures such as building and designing climate-resilient housing and designing “climate resilience” into outdoor spaces, such as through shaded bus stops, tree-lined streets and resting points.

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Other ideas include building “shelter domes” to protect older people from extreme weather in “climate hotspots” while still enabling them to socialise.

This, in a country where the annual average temperature is set to rise to just 11C.

How extreme do they really expect the weather to get? Scottish pensioners know the weather – which comes from a lifetime of experience living in Scotland.

If it’s too hot then they don’t venture out and if it’s too cold they don’t venture out either. How do they know the difference? They look out of the window.

Pensioners in Scotland are obsessed with the weather and that comes from knowledge, whether it be gardening, hanging out your washing, going fishing or whatever.

Virtually every outdoor activity in the history of Scotland is weather dependent and when you spend your whole life checking the forecast then, when you reach old age, you just know.

But, despite this, the researchers gathered the opinions of more than 140 older adults, policymakers, and practitioners across the UK to explore the factors that will contribute to the resilience of older people to climate change, which will include heatwaves, floods and storms.

The study recommends recognising climate change as an immediate public health issue and suggests measures such as integrating health and wellbeing outreach services to support those affected by extreme weather.

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It also says that storm damage and transport disruption due to extreme weather can also reduce mobility, social interaction and access to essential services.

You don’t really need to be an academic to work all this out though and pensioners living in Scotland have lived through dozens of storms and heatwaves in their lifetimes.

The biggest weather-related issue affecting older people today is struggling to heat their homes in winter due to sky-high energy bills.

This is a far more important and immediate issue, and no amount of shelter domes and shaded bus shelters will help them combat this. I suppose they could always roll up the research paper and chuck it on the fire for warmth.