Flood management |
The future of climate change
Filip Stefanovic discusses the importance of durable environmental protection solutions during extreme weather conditions
Above: Bolina Rope Safety Boom on the River Thames
EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS, SUCH as flooding, continue to escalate worldwide, posing severe threats to communities and ecosystems. In September 2023, ten countries and territories were ravaged by severe flooding, marking a relentless series of extreme weather events in a span of less than two weeks. The onslaught commenced with a typhoon causing widespread destruction in Hong Kong. Libya suffered devastating floods, resulting in a tragic loss of over 11,000 lives, as reported by the UN. Additionally, Europe endured one of its worst storms, impacting countries such as Greece, Spain and Bulgaria, while heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in the Americas. The condensed timeframe of these events underscores the intensifying severity of climate-related disasters across the globe.
Right: Bolina Watercraft Safety Boom on the River Trent, Diglis
Climate change has started to affect us in more tangible and directly consequential ways than we are used to. This has forced governments, businesses and media to acknowledge the growing problems at hand. However, even if sufficient action is taken that prevents us from an environmental tipping point, reversing the changes that have already occurred will take considerable time. Much like the frequently used analogy of a cargo ship doing a U-turn. The effects of climate change that we are currently witnessing will continue to worsen, even as we slow down their rate of change, until we eventually begin to reverse them. Therefore, it is imperative that we continue to prepare for the worst effects of climate change and not become complacent, as it is something that we will likely still have to live with for decades to come. This involves continuing to invest in fit-for-purpose infrastructure and taking appropriate and calculated measures to ensure that both people and the built environment are protected. These measures should be capable of withstanding extreme weather events and the accompanying debris and safety issues for people and watercraft they bring with them.
Unprecedented floods in Europe Over the course of the 2013-2014 winter, the United
Kingdom saw unprecedented levels of rainfall during severe storms, which caused widespread flooding and resulting power cuts and major disruptions to transport services across the country. During this time, the Met Office reported the wettest December 1 to January 31 period since 1876, while other local authorities said that the winter period from the beginning of December to the end of February was the wettest recorded in the UK since records began in 1766.
24 | December 2023 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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