Recent flooding in the United Kingdom is the worst the country has faced in perhaps as long as several hundred years. The flooding, which is not over, have already caused two billion pounds worth of damage and has left tens of thousands without power. An article in The Independent discusses the environmental and global warming causes of the flooding and compares the floods to those of 1947, which were the worst in memory.
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oh here we go – global warming – it is all too easy to blame an “extraordinary climatic event” on – global warming – that makes it ok then does it – we have an answer. The jet stream moving south didn’t have anything to do with the event of course and the fact that it could have been a la Nina event was considered by only the weather men when they presenting their reports,standing in flood water for effect. Yep we had a bit of rain – but the real problem was that it followed weeks and weeks of wet weather (we are supposed to have drought in summer if the global warmerlists are correct) The water table is high, the rivers are being being controlled by gates and sluices so that our rich friends downstream don’t get flooded. The English countryside is being filled up with vast housing developments and the associated infrastructure – much of it on flood plains – people are paving over their front gardens (or in new developments – they haven’t got them!!) to accommodate their second and third cars – and paving the back so they can have BBQs in the warming summer events – the rain water will do the natural thing flow to drains, ditches, brooks, streams and into rivers and out to sea. You only get a catasrophe when you block it one way or another i.e. oh look another vast housing estate or lets fill in ditches to make bigger fields – or lets put up the flood defences and close the lock gates.
While we are blaming the event on global warming, as we seem to do everything these days, we are missing the point – it is not our carbon footprint that we need to worry about but a more wider concentration on our environmental footprints (er as we used to do just a few years ago I seem to remember)and that in itself should cut down on all kinds of excesses not just CO2.(and I thought the problem with cars was carbon monoxide!! – we’re missing that one as well) If you really want to cut CO2 you need to stop formula one races, drag races, nascar,bike races, air races, air displays – football, cricket, athletics, concerts (oh yes the so called green concerts that must have given off a ton or two – and planting a tree does not make it ok) in fact anything and anywhere where people meet for large events (think of all the extra co2 the Tour de France produced – all those puffing and panting cyclists and excited crowds – never mind all the vehicles. I already save as much energy as possible – I live in a small house, drive a small car, walk when ever possible – I planted thousands of trees – my job – that’ll save a second or two at the end of the century – Why I sound so cynical is that all my efforts and that of many others will be negated by just one event – e.g. by the World Scout Jamboree held in Hylands Park, near Chelmsford (site of the V festival soon to start and pollute a bit more) After all that I am not suggesting that we go back to the dark ages but shouting global warming everytime something out of the ordinary happens is not going to solve the problems that man has created by inhabiting the planet. Addressing Global Climate Change – if we are to believe one side of the argument – needs global attention – big projects. If we are to believe the other side of the argument we still need to address the problems of human impact on the environment. Back to the floods – did anyone notice other places in the world that had floods at the same time – and found its people standing in queues for water.
The main lesson to be learnt is that we should stop taking things for granted.
I completely agree, we should appreciate what we have, stop building urban settlements where rivers should flow through naturally, it merely increases surface run-off with all the impermeable concrete, (used for recreational uses that benefit only the richer population) and decreases any chance of fertilising what little soil we originally had.
There’s no such thing as enjoying the countryside or breathing fresh air.
Where is the countryside? What happened to the clean air? Stop blaming global warming although sure it’s an almighty problem, but we need to tackle our daily lives first.