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 […]

03 Dec 2024

A new paper from the London School of Economics highlights how biodiversity net gain (BNG) and natural flood management can be integrated. It highlights that BNG legislation in England presents a key opportunity to unlock funding and innovative solutions that boost urban flood risk management efforts and wider co-benefits.   Photo credit: Ellie Burgin   […]

12 Jun 2024

CIWEM has produced a report that compiles reflections, or ‘postcards’, from coastal flood and erosion practitioners to offer different geographical and thematic perspectives from Britain’s coast, alongside some international perspectives. CIWEM’s Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management specialist panel have analysed these reflections to answer the question ‘How do we realistically adapt to rising sea […]

26 Mar 2024

Flooding is the number one natural hazard in the UK, costing billions of pounds each year. The risk and damages to the UK from flooding is only expected to increase due to Climate Change. Natural Flood Management (NFM) is a critical mechanism to help reduce the risk of flooding, while delivering environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, […]

14 Feb 2024

The government has announced funding awards to improve lowland peat soils, including over £1.3 million to projects across the North. Peatlands are the country’s largest terrestrial carbon store, however, as a result of centuries of drainage for agriculture, just 1% of England’s lowland peatlands remain in a near-natural state, and these drained peatlands account for […]

30 Jan 2024

Households would be willing to pay up to £40 a year more on their water bill to use nature instead of man-made materials to improve river water quality and reduce the risk of flooding. A study by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) explored people’s appetite for water companies to pursue nature-based approaches to tackle some […]

15 Nov 2023

A ground-breaking set of projects to help the River Tees Estuary adapt to climate change, restore valuable habitat for internationally important wildlife and reconnect the river’s tributaries has officially launched. With funding of more than £30million, the Tees Tidelands programme aims to realign flood defences, restore mudflat and saltmarsh habitat, and remove tidal barriers so […]

21 Jun 2023

Paper in Climate and Atmospheric Science journal indicates huge potential role for artificial intelligence Abstract In recent years there has been a surge of interest in the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address the global threat of climate change. Here, we consider climate change applications, and review the ability of AI technologies to better […]