Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and our reliance on oil will come to an abrupt and tumultuous end, causing global economic and social turmoil.
In last year's local elections in Manchester a third of those who voted did so by post. It's not just that people are choosing to get postal votes, but having one makes it much more likely that they'll vote.
The cost of motoring is a massive issue at the moment, there's no question. The price of petrol goes up every time you go to the petrol station.
Connecting people to jobs and to each other is absolutely vital to a city's economy (and to the wider economy).
I have run a general election campaign pregnant and ran Ed Miliband's leadership campaign commuting to London with a new baby so I already have my system set up.
In Scotland, the indication is that for the Westminster elections at least, Labour voters are satisfied with their government.
It's not a matter of if economies around the world becoming low-carbon, but when and how: through struggle and strife or through advancement and progressive leadership. Larry Elliot described it today as the 'Green New Deal.' It's a leadership we in Britain can provide, and from which our economy can benefit.
Team GB's success at the Beijing Olympics can, in part, be said to have been made in Manchester. For example, all the cycling medal winners trained at Manchester's velodrome, the National Cycling Centre.
I will take a short time out from being in Parliament when the baby is born but I'll still be doing my constituency work - just with another baby in tow.
The impact of the downturn is starting to feel very real. House prices and the housing market have been taking the knock for some time and that's affecting people.
Although my seat is a contest between Labour and the Lib Dems, it could well make the difference between a Labour and a Tory government at the next election. In terms of international development, this choice is a very clear one.
Doing nothing and shrinking spending may save us public money in the short term but could cost us a great deal more over time as the recession takes hold for much longer.
Surely, the best and most effective measure is to get the economy moving and shorten the period of recession or slowdown. That's the rationale for Gordon Brown's 'fiscal stimulus' and it sounds like a good one to me.
What the Lib Dems have failed to do is offer any meaningful agenda for government or for power.
These are tough times and under this Tory-led government many people in Manchester are suffering and getting left behind. If elected I will use all my energy, skills, experience and knowledge to stand up for our communities and get things done for the better.
The choice between a Labour government and a Tory one is sharpening minds.
As the economy faces such difficulties, more tough questions need to be asked about what the Tories would do if elected. Their ideology of free markets and small government needs challenging. That has to be part of our job.
A global deal will only be possible if Britain plays its part, leading the way with other developed countries.
Events are moving so fast and what in one moment seems impossible, the next is happening. I'm sure historians will, in time, provide theories and analysis, but for now I think most of us simply want the tide stemmed.
The lack of available credit and loans is having a severe impact on small businesses in particular, but also their suppliers and the bigger companies too.
