XXXXXXX XXXXXXX


a financial impact on them, but will also require them to take out more personal protection for their own home, and change their personal behaviour. “All the climate science points to the risk of extreme events (like flooding) in the UK increasing with climate change. “Flood relief schemes like the one around Maidenhead and Windsor are working, so things are being done, but it takes time and financial commitment.” The financial cost of the recent flooding is


being calculated and is likely to be considerable, says associate professor of economics Dr Guy Michaels, a member of the ESRC-funded Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics. Insurance experts already suggest the cost of clearing up could exceed £1 billion. Dr Michaels says building on flood plains is part of the problem, but adds: “Many UK cities have, through history, been established near rivers or on the coast because both provided important transport routes – and we have to live with the consequences of flooding while becoming more adept at dealing with it. “After the fall of the Roman Empire, Britain’s


urban network collapsed and restarted in the Middle Ages, and there was considerable value put on having coastal access – either directly or through navigable rivers,” he said. “Nowadays rivers don’t offer much economically apart from aesthetics and tourism opportunities, and they sometimes pose risks of flooding. “It is hard to say what the aggregate costs on the economy are right now, and it’s very hard to


predict weather patterns in the short and long- term. At CEP, we are assessing the impact of urban flooding globally, and there may need to be trade- offs – acquiring the best techniques for securing built-up areas against flooding, while diverting water to pasture land.” After the floodwaters recede, what – if anything – do we have to learn about the broader issue of our need and use of water? The Sustainable Practices Research Group (SPRG) is a consortium with a hub at Manchester and partners at the Universities of Cardiff, Edinburgh, Essex, Lancaster, Leeds, Newcastle, Queens University Belfast and Salford. Funded by the ESRC, DEFRA, Scottish Government and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, it has been looking into how richer societies use and misuse this valuable resource. Clean water, for example, requires a great deal


of energy to purify and pump to a house, and then to heat. The SPRG’s Patterns of Water report looked at how people in southern England used water in the home. Based on a survey of 1,800 people in 2011, it found that nearly three quarters of people have a bath or shower daily, a massive change to a generation ago. Dr Alison Browne, based at The University


of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute, said these changes in habits have huge implications for water and energy consumption. Drawing on ongoing research – the INTERREG IVB NWE funded Drop Project which looks at preparedness for and adaptation to water scarcity in north west Europe – she hopes it challenges


SPRING 2014 SOCIETY NOW 11


▲


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32