Big cities are not ready for climate change

Cars are stuck in the streets that have turned into rivers. The bus passengers were rescued on the boat. Underwater train stations, locomotion became chaotic.

Views of the flood-ravaged city of London took place in London over the weekend, with parts of the UK capital submerged by heavy rains.

After two London hospitals turned down emergency patients for flooding over the weekend, a brutal warning has emerged that even some of the world’s richest cities are not dangerously prepared for the extreme weather that is becoming more common and severe due to the weather. Change.

Climate and infrastructure experts have warned for years that London, like many other major cities, is not ready for climate change, with much of the city built on floodwaters and the Victorian drainage system, making this kind of change unbearable. Rain.

“It’s very worrying to see the hospital’s emergency departments closing in on floodwaters. Something definitely needs to be done to ensure that critical infrastructure is not at risk,” said Liz Stephens, associate professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences. University of Reading.

According to the Greater London Commission, London faces a 17% high or medium risk of flooding, with more than 1 million Londoners living with flooding.
The city has built a giant flood protection system on the River Thames to protect itself from floods, but barriers do not help much when it comes to flooding caused by heavy rains – they are more common as temperatures rise.

Sunday’s footage showed people in London stranded in safety, wandering the flooded streets. Some are trying to flee through the water, with authorities not advising that cars are more likely to be towed or drivers trapped.

The London Fire Department said Monday it had responded to more than 1,000 flood-related emergency calls, with teams rescuing people from cars and evacuating homes.

While these images of individuals who do not take risk seriously are worrying, Stephens said it is difficult for individuals to criticize here.

“Our ability to map flood risk is not very good,” Stephens said. He noted that surface flood risk maps in the UK have not improved much since 2013, despite the availability of more accurate technology and numerous reports emphasizing the increased risk.

Also, the method of monitoring and managing flood risk in the UK is so complex that different bodies are responsible.

The UK’s national meteorological office issued weather warnings for heavy rain and storms on Sunday, but Stephens said it was not immediately clear to the public.

“So really as an individual, what would you do with that kind of information. If you do not know that your property will be affected by flooding, you have some large flood warning, or even a flood warning, a warning heavy rain, so I wonder if people are not prepared for it. I don’t think so, ”he said.

A report on the effects of climate change in the UK last month by the government’s independent climate advisory panel warned that the country was not ready to “adapt to the fact that climate change has failed to prevent it from deteriorating.”

“The risk is always high in the urban environment because we have concrete surfaces, but in London we have old drainage infrastructure, we are talking about Victorian drains,” Stephens said.

Films like the ones from London on Sunday are generously worrying.

Two weeks ago, flash floods caused by heavy rains hit much of Western Europe, killing more than 200 people and leaving thousands homeless. Worldwide, much of central China’s Henan province was devastated after last week’s record rains, killing at least 58 people, reducing power and forcing more than 1 million people to flee.

While climate change may not be an event, heavy rains and floods are becoming more common. As the Earth’s atmosphere warms, it will retain more moisture, leading to unprecedented rainfall. Average total rainfall in an area does not change, but peaks multiply, indicating prolonged drought or more severe storms. When it rains heavily after prolonged drought, the soil is less likely to absorb water and is more likely to be flooded by rain.

Urban areas are at high risk for flash flooding because the surfaces are covered with concrete, which means the floor cannot absorb any water. According to the European Environment Agency, Paris, Thessaloniki, Bucharest and Barcelona have more than three-quarters of their “fenced” cities, meaning they are at high risk of surface flooding.

Moreover, many European cities rely on very old infrastructure, and sewer systems cannot cope with heavy rainfall.

“Summer storms are not a new phenomenon, but it is becoming increasingly clear that floods caused by heavy rains are having catastrophic consequences in both the UK and Europe,” said Jess Newman, a university hydrologist for reading. Media Center.

“The intensity and frequency of floods is a strong warning that we are not prepared to deal with climate change.”

(Text translated, read in original English Here)