2020 storms, flooding and climate change

The beginning of 2020 saw a series of storms that devastated a number of countries. Every week that we took a breath to recover and survey the damage, another storm seemed to be on its way. How can we ignore an inundation of storms as evidence of our rapidly changing climate?

In 2015, we had Storm Desmond, where 40 percent of the conditions were made more likely by climate change. In 2020, Storm Dennis is thought to be 100 percent due to climate change. Our climate is one degree celsius higher than it was a hundred years ago back in industrial times. One degree doesn't sound like much, but every degree puts seven percent more water in our atmosphere, which in turn leads to more and heavier rain. It is thought that a three degree rise in climate temperature would lead to about 20 percent more water in the atmosphere. How will we cope with the resulting flooding?

It is clear from the devastation suffered as a result of Storm Ciara and then Storm Dennis, that governments are not prepared. Storm Ciara alone brought a month's rain in the space of four hours; how do you prepare for that? In the U.K. many homes are built on flood plains leaving them exceptionally vulnerable to flooding, and often finding themselves unable to get insurance. Flooding relief measures and defences already in place are not sufficient, not for the individual, businesses, or communities as a whole.

Storms are not just about heavy rain. They lead to flooding, which cuts off infrastructure, makes it impossible for businesses to trade, and forces us from our homes. Flood water is contaminated meaning that those who wade through flood water to safety or to salvage their possessions put themselves at risk of disease. Flooding puts strain on emergency services, and those within the insurance industry trying to get their policyholders back to 'normal', and the trickle-down effect can have consequences we don't really think of. From road repair following damage by flooding, to staff shortages while people try to put their homes back together, the impact of a simple storm and its resultant flooding is far wider reaching than we think!

The early storms of 2020 could be just a taster of what to come; when will our governments take our climate crisis seriously and make it a priority?