13 Feb 2025

New research published in New Scientist says that severe droughts that persist for years have grown hotter, drier and larger since the 1980s. These long-lasting droughts – some of which are extreme enough to be classified as “megadroughts” – can be especially devastating to agriculture and ecosystems.   Photo credit: Yusuf Gündüz   Rising temperatures […]

22 Jan 2025

The new Global Risks Report from the World Economic Forum has identified extreme weather events as the top risk for the next 10 years, followed by biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.   Photo credit: Dibakar Roy   5 of the top 10 risks identified were environmental. They are Extreme weather (1st) Biodiversity loss and ecosystem […]

16 Jan 2025

The climate crisis is “wreaking havoc” on the planet’s water cycle, with ferocious floods and crippling droughts affecting billions of people, a report has found. The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of ground […]

08 Jan 2025

The Environment Agency is continuing to urge people to remain vigilant following the recent flooding, as flood warnings are still in place and a mixture of already saturated catchments and melting snow could risk some further disruption in parts of England on Thursday and Friday. Ongoing minor river flooding impacts are expected along the River […]

25 Sep 2024

George Monbiot, writing in The Guardian, says more floods are coming to Britain, and that the network of public bodies supposed to safeguard us are bastions of self-interest. Labour’s first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives’ midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, […]

18 Sep 2024

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed has convened a new Floods Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather. The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Floods Minister Emma Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, […]

23 Jul 2024

Two publications this week highlight the impact of climate change on water use and health. First, an article in the Los Angeles Times highlights the challenges of introducing new water-saving rules in California adopts – Los Angeles Times. The State Water Resources Control Board has adopted regulations that will require suppliers in cities and towns […]

29 May 2024

A new study from World Weather Attribution has shown that the 2023/24 storm season in UK and Ireland was made 20% heavier by climate change – and warns that it will continue to cause an increase in extreme winter storms combining strong winds and heavy rainfall. Scientists from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden […]