17 Mar 2021

Link to the Inquiry here Written evidence from Water UK here Written evidence from Ofwat (rather weak and very non-committal) here Main article from Utility Week (scroll down to hear about use of artificial intelligence to map spills of untreated sewage) Eliminating the use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) could cost £100 billion and nature-based […]

17 Mar 2021

From the Guardian The series of severe droughts and heatwaves in Europe since 2014 is the most extreme for more than 2,000 years, research suggests. The study analysed tree rings dating as far back as the Roman empire to create the longest such record to date. The scientists said global heating was the most probable […]

17 Mar 2021

Link to article  On a hot summer day in Connecticut, it’s common to go to a beach-side restaurant, eat some fresh oysters and mussels, and enjoy the crashing of the waves against the sand. For a group of University of Connecticut faculty and a Florida Atlantic University professor, their plan is to skip the beach […]

10 Mar 2021

Last week’s Budget saw a range of announcements and initiatives, but has been widely criticised as being out-of-step with the UK’s net-zero carbon transition and insufficient to meet the government’s climate ambitions. See BBC for more. Key announcements included: A new Net-Zero Innovation Portfolio, which will provide £1bn funding for low-carbon technologies and systems. Funding will be […]

10 Mar 2021

Water UK has launched a public consultation on building an ambitious, long-term Vision for the water sector in England. From Water UK. Submissions invited by 31 March. The ‘Developing a 2050 Vision for the Water Sector’ discussion paper is the first step towards agreeing ways of accelerating and broadening the sector’s role in the face of unprecedented […]

10 Mar 2021

Nice (short) article from the Guardian on why doing nothing is often better for flood risk than overengineering For many of us across the UK it has felt like another wet winter; yet again homes have flooded and politicians are under pressure to improve flood protection. Engineering our rivers and building defences might bring reassurance, […]