Don’t try telling anyone between Boston and Beijing about global warming; they might just hit you with a snow shovel.
The worst blizzards in decades have struck across the northern hemisphere. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has had 27cm of snow in a day – the heaviest fall since records began more than 70 years ago. European countries from Britain to Poland are bracing themselves for a record-breaking cold snap, while plunging temperatures have already claimed many victims in India. In the extreme north of China, temperatures have dipped as low as minus 32°C.
Nor is it only the northerly latitudes that are experiencing bizarre weather. After years of drought, parts of Australia are now being declared natural disaster zones after torrential rainfall caused rivers to rise by several metres, triggering floods. Even the normally placid climes of the UAE have experienced upheaval, with rainfall reaching near-record levels.