Somerset floods now "major incident"

Tarrel · Post by **Tarrel** » 09 Feb 2014, 17:29

I don't know if anyone had a chance to listen to this when it was published last year:

http://www.extraenvironmentalist.com/20 ... -function/

It's an episode of The Extraenvironmentalist featuring an interview with John Liu. He was contracted by the World Bank to document the restoration of China's Loess Plateau, which they partly funded.

In a nutshell, this landscape had become deforested and desertified over many years through over-grazing and unsustainable land use. It was having negative effects downstream, with the silting-up and flooding of rivers, leading to progressively more ambitious and expensive mitigation measures by the Chinese government. Eventually they decided it would actually make more economic sense to go back and fix the original problem. Treat the cause, not the symptom. So that's what they did.

It's a long interview, but worth a listen IMHO. Certainly relevant to our current situation.

peaceful_life · Post by **peaceful_life** » 09 Feb 2014, 17:39

Tarrel wrote:I don't know if anyone had a chance to listen to this when it was published last year:

http://www.extraenvironmentalist.com/20 ... -function/

It's an episode of The Extraenvironmentalist featuring an interview with John Liu. He was contracted by the World Bank to document the restoration of China's Loess Plateau, which they partly funded.

In a nutshell, this landscape had become deforested and desertified over many years through over-grazing and unsustainable land use. It was having negative effects downstream, with the silting-up and flooding of rivers, leading to progressively more ambitious and expensive mitigation measures by the Chinese government. Eventually they decided it would actually make more economic sense to go back and fix the original problem. Treat the cause, not the symptom. So that's what they did.

It's a long interview, but worth a listen IMHO. Certainly relevant to our current situation.

"It's possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems." Environmental film maker John D. Liu documents large-scale ecosystem restoration projects in China, Africa, South America and the Middle East, highlighting the enormous benefits for people and planet of undertaking these efforts globally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLZmwlPa8A

It's large scale permaculture.

Tarrel · Post by **Tarrel** » 09 Feb 2014, 17:54

Thx for video link.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 09 Feb 2014, 19:06

RenewableCandy wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the impression that Moonbat is correct about dredging being ineffective in most places but that the Levels are, because they were manmade in the first place, an exception?

Exactly. In most places flooding is exacerbated by all sorts of human actions, from flood defences in other parts of the river to clearance of trees upstream, etc... But the Somerset levels were naturally underwater most of the time before humans drained them. The whole place is manmade.

peaceful_life · Post by **peaceful_life** » 09 Feb 2014, 22:11

Tarrel wrote:Thx for video link.

No worries.

It's this kind of thing that we should be doing en mass in terms of an economy, along with reforming food production...there's no shortage of jobs to be had.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 10 Feb 2014, 07:45

Interesting to hear this morning that Owen Patterson has complained to the PM about Eric Pickles' criticism of Chris Smith following Smith's defence of the EA and Dame Julia Slingo linking unprecedented weather to climate change as Thames gauges record record levels. (At least nobody has suggested dredging at Churtsey.)

Meanwhile I notice that 1300 people have viewed the blog I wrote on Saturday

http://biffvernon.blogspot.co.uk/

Tarrel · Post by **Tarrel** » 10 Feb 2014, 14:15

An image just tweeted to BBC News, showing that climate change affects both the "Haves" and the "Have Yachts"!

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 10 Feb 2014, 15:50

Tarrel wrote:An image just tweeted to BBC News, showing that climate change affects both the "Haves" and the "Have Yachts"!

Looks like that has been dragged under by its own mooring rope. Avoidable.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 10 Feb 2014, 16:30

Rising tide lifts all boats shock horror probe...

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 12 Feb 2014, 11:10

Removal of trees and other water buffers, from fields and uplands.

Draining of land.

Building, tarmacing and concreting over land (noting particularly the large areas farm buildings cover).

Compacting of land by heavy machinery and stock.

These practices have been carried on with a vengeance over here in Ireland and paid for largely by you and I. Then we have to pay for flood prevention measures in towns and cities.

We are crazy indeed.