Amid more frequent and more extreme flooding caused by climate change, governments are not prioritising flood resilience, Flood Re CEO Andy Bord (pictured) told delegates of the COP26 in Glasgow on Nov. 7.
According to Bord, six of the 10 wettest years in the UK since 1862 have occurred since 1998, which points to climate change making flooding more frequent. In response to this, the UK must help households and communities to adapt and make them more resilient to the climate of today and the future.
Read more: Why is no-one talking about flooding?
To achieve flood resilience, Bord said that reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 would be essential, but it is not helping the country now. While Bord welcomed the efforts of world leaders in Glasgow to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, he said that adapting homes and communities to make them more flood resilient needed to be an urgent priority.
“Climate change is happening now – and it is only going to get worse,” Bord said. “I applaud the efforts taking place in Glasgow to reduce emissions to meet net zero, but we need to urgently adapt now to the increased frequency of flooding and extreme weather events. Resilience is not being prioritised. There is a growing need for continued investment not only in flood defences, but in measures to adapt homes and communities to make them more resilient to rising temperatures and an increased risk of flooding.”
