18 Apr 2016

The Environmental Audit Committee hears from carries on with its review by interviewing Rory Stewart from Defra and Oliver Letwin (Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) from the Cabinet office. Not a very comfortable afternoon for Rory Stewart who has to defend sitting on the Worsfold report and its recommendations. Watch the video  Tip you […]

14 Apr 2016

We all know about burying bad news, the EAC and Parliament have done their work in holding Government to account. The Environmental Audit Committee publishes the 2014 review of the Government’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCRM) (the “Worsfold Review”). The Worsfold Review was commissioned by the Government following the flooding of winter 2013-14 and […]

13 Apr 2016

The Guardian.   Why Flooding Is The Next Big Business Risk As climate change risks go, rising sea levels fail to sound the same alarm bells as dramatic weather events and melting ice caps. Yet their long-term effects are among the most alarming. Flooded cities, submerged coastal areas, mass migrations. According to recent research, the world’s oceans rose by 14cm […]

06 Apr 2016

Six professional bodies, led by CIWEM, representing 150,000 built environment professionals, including civil engineers, architects and environmental experts called on Lords to support a sustainable drainage amendment in the Housing and Planning Bill to improve the UK’s resilience to flooding. The amendment received cross-party support but unfortunately was not adopted at the Committee Stage. We […]

06 Apr 2016

Two reports highlighting the growing evidence for natural solutions and upstream thinking Flooding alleviated by targeted tree planting and river restoration A study by an international team of scientists, led by the Universities of Birmingham and Southampton, has shown that strategic planting of trees on floodplains could reduce the height of flooding in towns downstream […]

17 Mar 2016

Three perspectives, Defra, The Guardian and the Insurance industry who are not happy! Belated recognition that earlier cuts were not the right direction. 1.  Defra Announcement  Defra ‘An extra £700m in flood defence funding will help deliver the government’s commitment to ensure communities are protected against increasingly extreme weather. ‘This comes on top of the […]

02 Mar 2016

Two studies from Scotland and Devon on how beavers are working to slow the flow of rivers and help alleviate the impact of flooding. Beavers ‘Help To Prevent Flooding’, Says Scottish Study Scotland’s beaver population may help to prevent flooding, according to an academic study. The rodents, which are living wild around the River Tay, were accused […]

04 Feb 2016

Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry: Flooding: Co-operation Across Government January 21st First hearing  January Watch video – with Krebs, Johns and Bell from the Climate Change Adaptation Committee and then Dieter Helm explaining his catchment model and its implications for flood management. Feb 3rd Campaigning journalist George Monbiot and blogger Richard North, and the Environment Agency […]