20 Aug 2026
Photo by Sarah Doffman on Unsplash The UK Government has published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which introduces a dedicated flood risk and coastal change chapter (Policies F1-F9), bringing greater visibility and structure to flood risk planning policy. The framework introduces policy W1, which requires development plans to be informed by early […]
18 Aug 2026
Photo of Maunsell Forts in the Thames Estuary, by James Boreham UK waters have been gripped by a marine heatwave since February, with the southern half of the country still experiencing category I-III conditions in mid-August and pockets of the Dorset coast reaching category IV, “Extreme,” the most severe classification on the scale. Scientists […]
18 Aug 2026
Photo by Bob Brewer Scotland’s seabirds remain in long-term decline, with average numbers now around half what they were in the 1980s, according to new statistics published by NatureScot on 13 August. A steep long-term fall The Scottish Biodiversity Indicator for Seabirds, which draws on data from the UK Seabird Monitoring Programme, assessed 19 of the 24 […]
11 Aug 2026
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel Global sea surface temperatures reached their highest level ever recorded for the month of July, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), as a prolonged marine heatwave around the UK edges towards rare “extreme” territory and much of England and Wales is declared officially in drought. […]
05 Aug 2026
Photo credit: M. Shahri Hungary’s only nuclear plant came within millimetres of a complete shutdown this week as the drought draining central Europe’s rivers left the Danube too low to cool its reactors. A slight overnight rise in the river bought the Paks plant a reprieve, while downstream in Romania the military has detonated […]
30 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Photoholgic on Unsplash The Environment Agency has declared drought across seven regions of England, covering just over half the country, following what is set to be the driest July on record. The declaration moves East Anglia, Hertfordshire and North London, Thames, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and […]
23 Jul 2026
Photo credit: redcharlie Europe’s current drought is being shaped by a compound of rainfall deficits and a much warmer, thirstier atmosphere, according to a rapid attribution study published today by World Weather Attribution (WWA). Analysing conditions from January to June 2026 across a western European domain and an eastern one, scientists from 13 countries found that […]
16 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Oleksandr Sushko The heat and rainfall deficit affecting the UK extends well across the North Sea, with Dutch authorities warning of a looming water shortage and the Rhine falling to levels that threaten to halt freight. The National Water Distribution Coordination Committee scaled the Netherlands up to level 1, an impending water shortage, on […]
