January 6th, 2010
Dorset County Council have won their bid for government funding to help protect the Jurassic Coast from the ravages of climate change.
The main concerns for the area (15 sections of coastline between Devon and Dorset) are storm damage, erosion and rising sea levels. In fact, only last year a huge landslide destroyed 400 metres of the world heritage coastline near Lime Regis. Clearly, the councils realised it was time to act.
£376,500 is now available to Devon and Dorset in order for them to assist the most venerable communities in the area. However, the money will not, as you would imagine, be going to improve sea defences, but to help the inhabitants gain a better understanding and ability to adapt to the impact of inevitable coastal changes. Debates will be held at local level, contingency plans devised and there will be the introduction and development of training programmes for conservationists.
Is this a case of forearmed is forewarned? Although it’s a positive nod by the government, towards recognising the dangers facing an island nation from the ravages of global warming, perhaps more should be being done to slow erosion and raising sea levels in the first place.
Tags: Climate Change, Global Warming, government, Jurassic Coast, rising sea levels | Posted in Climate Change, Local Councils, education, environment, rising sea levels
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December 7th, 2009
With the Copenhagen Summit kicking off today, it has been reported that many people do not accept that global warming exists and that if it does, that we have no part in it.
Hard to believe I know, especially when the evidence is so clear – greenhouse gasses cause climate change, Fact. As the ice melts in parts of Antarctica, sea levels are anticipated to rise by 1.4 m by the end of the century, which could be disastrous for many countries. Climate change is a very real phenomenon; as greenhouse gasses go up, so the temperature increases.
And yet, there are still non-believers! Following a recent opinion poll, it seems members of the public feel the following: that the science is too confusing, that it doesn’t affect them personally; that there is no urgency and it is not an important priority. Some even view it as a costly over-reaction.
What also appears to be a major factor in the public not facing the hard reality of global warming is that the message is frequently conveyed by politicians, which immediately gives rise to scepticism. So, why after all the eye wash we are fed by politicians, is this the one thing we choose to question? Somebody please answer me that!
Tags: Climate Change, Copenhagen Summit, Global Warming, greenhouse gasses, policticians, rising sea levels | Posted in Climate Change, carbon emissions, rising sea levels
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