The Guardian view on February’s record warmth: nasty weather for the time of year | Editorial

Amid the pressing demands of immediate political crises it is easy to forget the long-term changes in the climate. But no country, least of all the UK, can afford to

"Normally I don't comment on individual months," tweeted Gavin Schmidt of Nasa on Sunday. "Too much weather, not enough climate. But last month was special." And so it was: February's global surface temperature was 1.35C warmer than the average temperature for the month between 1951-1980, a bigger margin than ever seen before.

In the pressing confusion of world affairs, civil war, refugees, terrorism and even the workings of democracy, it can be hard to keep a focus on even greater long-term threats. Yet the consequences of climate change - sometimes drought, sometimes extreme weather events - already contribute to political instability, to pushing hard lives over the border into intolerable, fuelling the great flows of humanity across continents.

Continue reading...