Action needed to avoid flood crisis

MANY European cities are advancing plans to combat the effects of climate change, with some coming up with novel proposals that could be of interest here — especially in the wake of the huge damage caused by floods in Cork and several other Irish urban areas in 2009.

The clear message in a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) is that preventative action needs to be taken now.

Or must we, in the time-honoured Irish way, wait for something near-apocalyptic to happen before deciding to act? Around three-quarters of Europeans live in cities. Urban areas are particularly at risk due to climate change and the report warns that delaying action will be much more costly in the long-term.

Temperatures are increasing, rainfall is changing and sea levels are rising, according to the report, the first Europe-wide assessment of urban vulnerability to climate change. It also points out the effects of climate change are going to be much more acute in urban than in rural areas.

Cities have massive amounts of concrete and tarred surfaces, leading to more flooding, and fewer green areas which make heatwaves more intense. The so-called ‘urban heat island’ leads to much higher temperatures in cities than in the surrounding area.

Many cities are now facing water scarcity, flooding and heatwaves, which are expected to become more frequent and extreme.

EEA executive director Jacqueline McGlade says: ‘Cities need to start investing in adaptation measures using ideas and best practice from around the world. The longer political leaders wait, the more expensive adaptation will become and the danger to citizens and the economy will increase.”

Flooding in Cork, Mallow, Galway, Ennis and other areas in 2009 has been well documented, with damage in Cork alone coming to more than €100m. While experts say that events of almost three years ago cannot be directly attributed to climate change, there’s no doubt that the climate is changing.

The Irish Academy of Engineering has analysed the impacts of climate change on water supply, flood alleviation, and energy and has called island-wide strategies to adapt to change.

The west and northwest regions will experience greater rainfall, in the winter, and the east and southeast regions will experience water shortages. But, it is in the east and southeast where the populations on the island are concentrated and where the need for water is most urgent.

Summer droughts will lead to shortages of water for drinking, cleaning, irrigating, animal stock and industry. In addition, sewage treatment infrastructure is already inadequate and will become even more so with climate change impacts.

Flooding will increasingly become a problem for towns and cities along our coasts. The need for action is obvious, but there are fears it is being delayed because of the recession.

Two and a half years after parts of Cork were submerged, Cork Chamber has raised concerns that adequate flood prevention measures have not been implemented.

Chamber chief executive Conor Healy, voicing fears about the length of time being taken to identify and implement necessary measures, has called for the completion of repairs to the quay walls damaged during the 2009 flooding. He also highlighted the need for an overall plan to cover the Lee Valley and other areas.

The EEA report, which suggests cities should work with nature and improve quality of life while adapting to climate change, gives examples of what other cities are doing.

For instance, the height of the Thames barrier, which protects London from sea level rise, can be adjusted to cope with different levels of warming and climate change.

The Dutch government is giving more space to rivers by lowering and widening flood plains and constructing water retention and storage areas. At the same time, extra nature areas are being created. In the city of Ostend, Belgium, a new beach will help protect the city from storm surges and coastal flooding.

Many adaptation measures can make cities more pleasant places to live. Malmö, in Sweden, manages rainwater flows with a new, open storm water system. Here, green roofs and open water channels lead rainwater into collection points that form a temporary reservoir.

Following water shortages in the 1990s, Zaragoza, in Spain, set about creating a ‘water saving culture’. Within 15 years, a campaign aimed at citizens and businesses helped cut water consumption by almost 30 %, despite a 12 % population increase.

Many measures do not have to be huge in scale or cost to be effective when mainstreamed into other planning. A new metro line is being built in Copenhagen, Denmark, with elevated entrances to prevent storm water flooding the tracks.