In climate news, a top Russian government scientist is warning that human-driven climate change is behind unprecedented spring-like temperatures recorded this winter. January was Moscow’s warmest on record, with little snow cover and average temperatures hovering around freezing — or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Flowers began blooming in mid-February, and some animals have already ended their winter rest. This is Roman Vilfand, director of the Russian government’s Hydrometeorological Centre. 

Roman Vilfand: “The warming that is being observed, not only during the wintertime, but also in the summertime, is dangerous, because it causes the permafrost to thaw. The concept of 'permanent' disappears, and the frost turns out not to be eternal.”