Record breaking flood alerts have been recorded in the first four months of 2024, providing more evidence of climate change The Yorkshire Post has reported. The article highlights a recent report from the Environment Agency which revealed that Britain saw the highest number of flood alerts and warnings in the first third of the year with up to 40 issued on average each day. In the period from January to April 2024 4,858 warnings and alerts were issued across Britain, an increase of almost 500 on the previous record of 4,373 for the first four months of 2020. You can read more about this story here.
Round Our Way, a not-for-profit organisation, which supports people in the UK affected by the climate crisis, obtained data about the record breaking flood alerts from the Environment Agency under the Freedom of Information Act.
Last winter was one of our wettest on record and February was the wettest on record for England and Wales which had widespread impacts on farmers, drainage systems, businesses and transport. The Round Our Way analysis shows a record 3,986 record breaking flood alerts and warnings were issued in England in the first part of this year, broken down into 2,561 alerts, 1,423 warnings and two severe warnings.
Roger Harding, the director of Round Our Way, told the media that: “These figures back up what many of us are thinking. As climate change sets in, more floods are happening. Climate change and the floods that come with it are leaving families more and more exposed. Politicians need to invest in clean energy so we can cut fossil fuels and protect our families from this getting worse.”
Want to get involved with helping create and maintain natural solutions to tackling the climate crisis? Join in with our Biodiversity group activities here.