In this warmest April ever recorded in the UK, it is a joy to be out and about. The hedgerows are heavy with blossom, the crops in the fields are already chest-high, and all around there is the industrious humming of bees. Throwing open the windows and watching the kids play in the warm sun, the summertime idyll seems complete. At the back of one's mind though, there's a nagging doubt. Those blossoms on the hawthorn bushes are 3 weeks early, the bees may be loving it, but so to are the aphids in the greenhouse and the ticks in the woods. In line with projected climate change in the UK, spring is getting earlier. This year we appear to be getting a preview of the average British climate in decades to come.

Here in Scotland the absence of winter snow and the sultry heat of April have all felt rather surreal, like being part of a computer's optimal climate program instead of reality. Yes, it's nice to sunbathe, to cast off the jumpers and coats. But, such stunning spring weather here is just part of the wider story that is rapid global climate change. I can luxuriate in the Scottish sunshine this afternoon, but when I close my eyes it's hard not to see the droughts, floods and mass-migrations that come as part of the worldwide deal.