Well, so far it looks like this is the coldest winter since, well ... estimates vary. But the way some news reports are going on, it hasn't been this cold since the days of the Mammuthus primigenius. Okay, maybe not since as far back as that, but certainly back as far as before the Beatles were famous.
Just what the weather means in terms of the environment is uncertain - for sure, fewer flights will have been taken and fewer road journeys taken, so maybe there is an eco-benefit. It's also been so cold that I'm sure many cryogenic research facilities could temporarily switch off their cold temperature equipment and not notice much of a difference.
With some reports even characterising the continuing cold weather as a mini ice age, there will definitely need to be a lot of government thought about what to do in the future. Because what if the past couple of years end up not being exceptional and end up being the norm? Even one winter out of ten as harsh as this and there would require to be completely new systems in place for coping. Anyone who witnessed the television news this year, with people stuck at airports and on motorways, would surely want to avoid being in a similar situation, ever.
But we have a lot to be thankful for - living in modern accommodation with such things as insulation, radiators and double glazing makes a lot of difference. Back during that 1963 cold snap, these mod cons weren't all that widespread. It makes you wonder how people in properly cold areas of the world, like Siberia, managed to cope,
Who knows, maybe in the future there will be so much solar energy (or other renewable clean form of energy) going round that even the pavements will have below surface heating, and slipping around while running for the bus will be a thing of the past. I hope so anyway.
