In part, many say, the recent weather is simply a matter of "the noise" of natural variability, more of which is on the way: after a cold snap through tomorrow, it will warm up again next week, though only temporarily.
The international negotiations under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change have not been terribly fruitful in recent years, but the recent weather extremes around the globe, amid further evidence of planetary warming, could concentrate policy makers' minds and lead to progress in coming talks, Dr. Pachauri said.
Elsewhere though, Jeremy Clarkson, in his Sun column, thinks the recent weather should be "small talk, not big news".
"Yes, the recent weather in Australia is a symptom of climate change," Steffen said.
This week, the National Farmers Union said that 30% less wheat than normal was being grown in the UK this year due to the recent weather.
But the new records are certain to contribute to the debate over whether some of the recent weather extremes in the United States and elsewhere, from tropical storms to droughts, can be directly attributed to human-induced global warming.
Brian Hoskins and Nigel Lawson discuss the extent to which man-made climate change is a factor in the recent extreme weather.
In the recent snowy weather people at risk got phone calls to check they were safe, if they wanted some shopping done, or perhaps a friendly face at the door making sure they were OK.
WITH JUST 600 DAYS until the 2016 general elections, it was reasonable to have a break in the recent political weather and wind.
Bank of America's small investment banking unit was hit particularly hard in the recent quarter, weathering trading losses that were the same size as those of its larger peers.
