Considering floods, climate change and flood defence

The Paris climate talks are in full swing. And over the weekend of December 5-6 our increasingly erratic climate has shown its ability to impact even a rich country like the UK. ‘Storm Desmond’ has deposited very large quantities of rain over Scotland, northern England and north Wales, causing widespread flooding – particularly in Cumbria.

The Met Office say that Honister Pass has set a UK rain record for any 24-hour period, of 341.4 mm. Provisional data has a new 48 hour rain record at Thirlmere of at least 405mm – that’s 16 inches.

Read the Friends of the Earth report - “Floods, climate change and flood defence investment.”

(This is a little dated, but still interesting – some of the rainfall numbers are astounding – Robert McLean.)