Think we've just had a bad run of summers? Think again

As my "followers" will know, I have an interest in weather, and as a member of the Royal Meteorological Society I receive their monthly journal "Weather". An editorial in this month's edition made rather sober reading. I quote a small section from an article entitled "Arctic sea ice minimum":

"...NASA have reported that the Arctic has lost more ice this season than at any time since satellite records began in 1979. Experts have noticed a steady decline in Arctic ice over the last 30 years and that the rate of decline is accelerating... Increasing amounts of Arctic open water allow bigger waves to be generated and hence the production of larger and more frequent storms. The reduction will not only affect wildlife, but may also affect the jet stream, resulting in wetter and windier summers in the UK, a trend which is only likely to increase..."

I had a patient see me last week who, with 4 of his colleagues, was sent to Brussels (by air) for a 90 minute business meeting. I asked him if it couldn't have been done via video-conferencing, and he replied that his boss "liked the face to face touch". It is this sort of behaviour which is contributing directly to the grim scenario painted above. So next time you curse the lousy summers in Britain, and you buy into this sort of culture, remember: you're part of the problem.