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Blog > Climate change - good or bad?
Author: Martin Hayes
That the climate is changing is beyond doubt for most people now. However, the arguments are endless about whether that’s due to manmade factors or is part of the natural cycle of the world’s ever evolving weather patterns. Depending upon your outlook, you can subscribe to the notion that it’s all down to the impact of those gas-guzzling 4 by 4s so beloved of Chelsea mothers or whether it’s all in a twist of the tail of El Nino.
But, at present at least, I’m not convinced it’s all bad news. This ‘winter’ has been so mild that three times as many species of flowers are blooming as normal and, thank you very much, it’s been nice to be free of snow and ice pretty much all of the winter months to date. Of course, as we know too well in Britain, there’s still time yet and have had snow in April before now.
It’s an ill wind as they say but I bet the guy whose stall I passed yesterday saying ‘Survive winter – get your rock salt/sledges/shovels here’ is a bit gutted along with the sellers of winter tyres, something we all thought might become a lot more popular after two years of white covered roads and so on.
Now this is all well and good but of course some (and there are as many theories about where the climate is going as there are meteorologists, it seems to me) experts believe that, post this little warm snap, we’re headed into a new ice age meaning all those dreams of wine growing slopes in Scotland and so on will be well and truly scuttled. I have to say I’m hoping that this is one scenario which doesn’t materialise – never mind the pressures on our creaky and expensive energy supply but I do not like shivering!
One consequence of global warming or cooling is that a more extreme climate, hot or colder, would finally drive Britain to improve its construction industry standards. Frying in summer or freezing in winter whenever the temperature rises or falls a few degrees beyond the norm is evidence of our shoddy buildings. It doesn’t have to be like this – just visit Dubai in August or Moscow in December, extremes can be catered for but we’ve never had sufficient incentive here in temperate old UK.
So change is happening, yes, but do you invest in central heating or air con? Don’t ask me although my feeling is that, whatever happens next, the role of the combustion engine vehicle in the whole process is being wildly overstated.
11th Jan 12
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