Why Britain will feel the cold more than Iceland this winter

A winter of discontent is underway in Europe. Germany, France and Britain are the biggest economies in Europe: all face a battle to keep the lights on over the coming months. There are warnings of energy rationing, blackouts and the forced closure of factories as the continent weans itself off Russian gas. How did it come to this? The countries that drove the industrial revolution are out in the cold. Europe is stuck in a quagmire of its own making. But these countries could do worse than look north – to Iceland – for inspiration on how to make it through winter.

As the name suggests, my home country can get rather cold in winter when the temperature can hit -30 °C. In fact, it is chilly in Iceland most of the year; even in summer, the average temperature is 10°C. Yet Icelanders have managed to survive and thrive for 1,150 years despite the inhospitable conditions. But