Whilst spring rainfall has been a welcome relief for most of the country, experts caution that ongoing action will remain vital for securing our water supply into the future. At last week’s meeting of the National Drought Group (Wednesday 24 May), chaired by Environment Agency Chief Executive John Curtin, the group discussed how the government, […]
Antarctica drives a global network of ocean currents called the “overturning circulation” that redistributes heat, carbon and nutrients around the globe. The overturning is crucial to keeping Earth’s climate stable. It’s also the main way oxygen reaches the deep ocean. But there are signs this circulation is slowing down and it’s happening decades earlier than […]
The DWI (Drinking Water Inspectorate) has published its review of the December 2022 freeze-thaw incident. It finds that companies have improved on their performance from the 2018 freeze-thaw but require further improvements in their planning, resourcing and response. The watchdog made a series of recommendations and suggestions to the industry. It said it was considering […]
On 11 May, Ofwat Chief Executive David Black spoke at the CCW and MET Office climate change adaptation event in Exeter. This document contains his full speech and slides which talk about the water sector’s role in adapting to climate change and how PR24 will drive companies to accelerate efforts.
The World Meteorological Association says that global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fuelled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño event. There is a 66% likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial […]
The Southern Hemisphere experienced its warmest April and warmest month on record. The April 2023 temperature surpassed that of the previous record-warm month in the Southern Hemisphere, March 2016, by 0.10°F (0.06°C). April 2023 marks the first month in the Southern Hemisphere where average temperatures exceeded 0.90°C above the 20th-century average. Meanwhile, the Northern Hemisphere […]
The National Infrastructure Commission and Climate Change Committee have written jointly to government urging ministers to take steps to improve the resilience of key infrastructure services to the effects of climate change. Building on recent reports by both organisations, the advisory bodies set out five steps to accelerate national adaptation planning to protect key networks: Setting clear […]
The UK’s approach to international action on nature and climate to 2030 has been published through a Strategic Framework. The framework outlines the UK’s actions to address six global challenges on international environmental action. The Integrated Review (IR) Refresh makes clear that “the UK’s first thematic priority remains tackling climate change, environmental damage and biodiversity loss, given the […]