From Paraguay to the US, Australia to Spain, El Niño brings Christmas chaos

The extreme weather events around the world over Christmas has lent yet more weight to the idea that the world's climate is changing

Weather and climate are, of course, very different things. But the sheer concentration of extreme weather events around the world over the Christmas period has lent yet more weight to the idea that the world's climate is changing, even if the effects are currently exacerbated by the effects of El Nino.

Thousands of homes in the north of England have been affected by severe flooding, some for the second or even third time in the past few years.