With all the snow on the ground, those peddling the notion that global warming is a myth are having a bit of a field day. Their argument runs something like this – ‘Look, we told you so – it’s the coldest winter for years, the country hasn’t seen so much snow in a lifetime, so tell us, George Monbiot and fellow Guardian readers, where does that leave global warming?’ Well, it would be convenient if they were right, but as Al Gore has so eloquently pointed out, global warming is an inconvenient truth. The fact is that weather is different to climate, so whilst I sit here writing this and look out on the rare and wonderful sight of my back garden in Clapham blanketed in snow, that’s today’s weather. We monitor the weather on a daily basis and weather forecasts have around 3 days as a typical future outlook. Climate on the other hand is measured in months, years and decades, and however cold we may feel today as we rush out for our milk and groceries, the harsh reality is that the Earth’s climate is warming at an unnatural rate.

The cold weather throws up a challenge for all of us trying to minimise our energy consumption – how to stay warm without having the boiler at full blast for hours on end? Personally I’ve taken to wearing thicker jumpers indoors – and our Braintree Hemp jumper is, I’m told by my wife, really very flattering as well as keeping me warm; also the need for better insulation is all to apparent in this cold snap and I recommend the Energy Saving Trust where there’s a lot of information and advice including a search service by postcode for grants and offers; and finally, let’s at least make sure our radiators are throwing off the maximum heat making the most of all the hot water being pumped from our boilers around our homes.

With kids, the snow is really a joy and I’m signing off now to take mine to Brockwell Park with our old toboggan – it’s not quite the Scottish Highlands, but it’s great to enjoy a snowy slope here on our doorstep.