I need to start small this week with the breaking news that sardines, on the whole, are half the size they were just 10 years ago. Thetimes.co.uk headlines: “Sardines shrink to half their size in a decade as the seas get warmer.” While this news story refers to Atlantic sardines, similar sardine shrinkages are being seen around the world.

And, yes, sardine slimdowns should be seen as a major matter. These tiny forage fish are like canaries in the sardine can.