Around 66 million years ago, as a group of Tyrannosaurs in North America were about to start their morning hunt, a blinding white light filled the sky.

It was the last thing they ever saw ­– not just because their retinas were burnt out in an instant – but because of the cataclysmic events that followed.

An asteroid (or comet) the size of Mount Everest had just hit the Earth 2,500 miles away at colossal speed, triggering one of the worst mass extinctions of our planet.

It is estimated up to 75 per cent of all animal and plant life was wiped out as a result.

Fast forward to today and, according to scientists across the globe, we are facing our own battle for survival.

This time, the threat is not as immediate as a death blow from the stars. Fortunately, we have developed the technology to foresee any threatening objects heading our way from deep space.

Instead, it’s a slower, creeping paralysis, caused by our own behaviour ­– climate change. And being comparatively slower than immediate annihilation – it has its doubters.

The administration at Northumberland County Council is under no illusion though as to the damaging effects greenhouse gases are having on our eco-system.

Its measures to become carbon neutral by 2030 are to be welcomed and all local councils should follow suit.

The powers that be should also consider large subsidies for public transport, powered by green energy, to get people out of their cars. Commuters would be more likely to use regular and extensive bus services if all fares were £1.

Sir David Attenborough has described the current situation as “our greatest threat in thousands of years.”

The dinosaurs did not know what was happening to them.

But we do, so it would be embarrassingly stupid to sit back and let it happen.

The planet will, of course, recover after a few million years and new life will evolve. But our descendants might not be around to enjoy it.