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United Kingdom: Tree planting ‘can reduce flooding’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on March 11th, 2016
BBC: Planting trees around rivers could reduce the height of flooding in towns by up to 20%, new research suggests. A study for the Environment Agency concludes that trees round a feeder stream can slow the rush of rainwater and save properties from flooding. But it warns that natural flood prevention methods do not always work. And it urges a strategic approach because foresting a whole catchment would be counter-productive. The report - from the universities of Birmingham and Southampton - says...
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‘Growth drives UK flooding problems’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on August 21st, 2014
BBC: Part of the UK's problem with flooding is self-imposed, new research suggests.
The study says the number of reported major flood events has increased, but in parallel with population growth and a boom in building in vulnerable areas.
It says it is unclear if climate change is implicated in recent flooding.
But the Southampton University team urges government to continue spending on flood defences as more homes are likely to be vulnerable due to sea level rise and more intense rainfall. ...
United Kingdom: Disarray over flood prevention plans
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on January 10th, 2014
BBC: There is disarray over government plans to prevent new developments making flooding worse, BBC News has learned.
The 2010 Flood Act states developments must be landscaped so water from roofs and drives seeps into open ground, and does not rush into the water system.
But details of the law have been delayed for more than three years.
House builders say it will put up the cost of new home and have been wrangling with government and councils over who pays to maintain new systems.
The BBC...
United Kingdom: Half UK ‘suitable for fracking’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on December 17th, 2013
BBC: More than half of the UK could be suitable for shale gas fracking, according to a government-commissioned report.
Under the maximum scenario, up to 2,880 wells could be drilled for oil or gas in a new licensing round, the report says, generating 16,000 to 32,000 jobs.
This would markedly increase lorry movements and could squeeze water supplies for local communities.
But the environmental impact would be "manageable", say consultants AMEC.
A single well might create up to 51 daily lorry...
United Kingdom: Fracking: RSPB objects to Cuadrilla plans for two sites
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on August 17th, 2013
BBC: The RSPB has lodged objections to proposals to drill for shale gas at sites in Lancashire and West Sussex.
It says regulations are inadequate to ensure water, landscapes and wildlife are protected.
Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the UK to back fracking, which involves shattering shales to release trapped gas.
Cuadrilla, which is exploring the sites, says its activities will not harm birds or other wildlife.
These are the first formal objections to fracking from the RSPB, and they...
UK shale gas bonanza ‘not assured’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on April 25th, 2013
BBC: Shale gas in the UK could help secure domestic energy supplies but may not bring down prices, MPs report.
The US boom in shale gas has brought energy prices tumbling and revitalised heavy industry, but the Energy and Climate Change Committee warns conditions are different in Britain.
The MPs say the UK's shale gas developers will face technological uncertainties with different geology.
And public opinion may also be more sceptical, they add.
The UK is a more densely populated landscape...
Advisers warn UK CO2 emissions ‘up’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on April 24th, 2013
BBC: A new report has laid bare the UK's pretensions to have cut greenhouse gas emissions over recent years.
Ministers have claimed global leadership in reducing CO2 emissions and urged other nations to follow suit.
But the official Climate Change Committee (CCC) said that the UK's total contribution towards heating the climate has actually increased.
This is because the UK is importing goods that produce CO2 in other countries.
The UK has been cutting emissions at home, but it has been importing...
United Kingdom: Met Office advice was ‘not helpful’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on March 29th, 2013
BBC: The Met Office has admitted issuing advice to government that was "not helpful" during last year's remarkable switch in weather patterns.
Between March and April 2012, the UK experienced an extraordinary shift from high pressure and drought to low pressure and downpours.
But the Met Office said the forecast for average rainfall "slightly" favoured drier than average conditions.
The three-month forecast is said to be experimental.
It is sent to contingency planners but has been withheld...
Changes needed to save resources
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on January 28th, 2013
BBC: Governments need to spark a lightweight revolution in the way things are made so the world can keep up with the demand for resources, say scientists.
They say homes will have to be built with less cement; cars with less steel; and gadgets with less plastic.
And it will need to be done in a way that radically cuts emissions from producing the materials, they add.
These are among the conclusions presented in the journal
Several papers in the journal tackle the dual problem created by the...
Extreme rainfall in UK ‘increasing’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on January 3rd, 2013
BBC: The frequency of extreme rainfall in the UK may be increasing, according to analysis by the Met Office.
Statistics show that days of particularly heavy rainfall have become more common since 1960.
The analysis is still preliminary, but the apparent trend mirrors increases in extreme rain seen in other parts of the world.
It comes as the Met Office prepares to reveal whether 2012 has been the wettest year on record in the UK.
The study into extreme rain is based on statistics from the...