Mayer Hillman is an eminent academic whose inspired number-crunching 40 years ago predicted today’s cotton-wool culture. This week, he was due to speak on the topic of school journeys at the Royal Geographical Society conference in London.

Mayer Hillman holds legendary status among many in the environmental movement. George Monbiot’s new book, Turn Up the Heat is dedicated to Hillman—‘the mirror in which we all see our own hypocrisy’. In theory Hillman has retired, but he continues to work all waking hours on the biggest problem mankind has ever had to face: climate change.