Stay informed with the top 10 daily stories
(Bloomberg) –
Most read from Bloomberg
Google’s Moonshot is your quest for a carbon-free future
U. S. Public Cemetery Becomes Park
Why buying a moment or even a third home is more popular than ever
Google CEO: “We’re wasting our time” in the fight against climate
Failed airline pilots do in the air
The last time the river passing through the Scottish city of Glasgow overflowed from its banks with fatal consequences just 3 decades ago, days of torrential rains reached the breaking point just two weeks before Christmas 1994, and two other people died in flooding that flooded the city’s SEC Center and caused more than a hundred million pounds ($140 million) in asset damage.
At the time, James Curran was overseeing flood warning systems in the region. As the typhoon intensified, he was sent to the basement of a local police station to help coordinate the emergency response, relaying river and tide gauge readings to rescuers. like the cancellation of a sold-out concert by rock star Meatloaf at the SEC Center.
The newly renovated venue in central Glasgow, now called Ovo Hydro, will host world leaders and thousands of attendees at a UN climate replacement summit in November. The COP26 summit begins in the midst of Scotland’s flood season. inflate the River Clyde, which passes through the city, to potentially harmful levels.
“We’re in uncharted territory with the frequency and severity of flooding we’re experiencing lately,” Curran says. Today, he chairs Climate Ready Clyde, an organization that is helping the region better prepare for the effects of global warming. “There is no doubt that the threat in all the possible floodplains of Glasgow’s urban domain will be accentuated in the coming decades. “
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency estimates that around 170,000 people in and around Glasgow are at risk of flooding, a figure that is expected to rise by around 30% by the 2080s. half a century.
“There is tons of exposure to flooding,” said Beth Tellman, lead clinical director of flood-tracking startup Cloud to Street. “It is already a difficult country and it will be a difficult country. “
The greatest threat of flooding has a global phenomenon. In recent decades, Scotland has experienced more and more torrential rainfall, accelerating the rise of the sea point and reducing the number of days of frost and snow. Glasgow gained 125% of its average annual rainfall last year. Torrential rains in August submerged a street about four feet away from water.
Flooding situations are unlikely to be repeated in November, just as climate talks are taking place in Glasgow, but the city still faces the threats of climate change. Water floods can build up on streets with nowhere to go and rivers can overflow. Coastal flooding in the region also has a more pronounced threat as sea degrees rise.
The biggest flood threat is now a global phenomenon, with global average temperatures consistent with temperatures above 1. 1°C above pre-industrial points. The average annual sea surface temperature consistent with the temperature in northern Scotland is highest up to 0. 24°C consistent with the decade since 1990. precipitation has changed, with heavier rainfall, a point of the accelerating sea and fewer days of frost and snow, according to Adaptation Scotland.
While the UK has one of the world’s top competitive targets to decarbonise its economy, the country’s Climate Change Committee warned that not enough is being done to UK citizens because of the effects of warming temperatures.
Curran is among those working to reposition that in Glasgow. The climate adaptation plan his team is drawing up is part of an effort by the European Union to provide examples that local governments across the continent can be informed of. As construction depleted peatlands, the conversion of sealed sewers into open waterways and building park spaces, aim not only to store more water during periods of heavy rainfall, but also to make the city a more pleasant position to live in.
“The concept is to make the whole city fluffier,” says David Harley, head of water and making plans at the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. “It’s the difference between a functional, harmful, and bad long-term position and a position that can thrive and succeed in a climate of conversion. “
The most read of Bloomberg Businessweek
How Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Gwyneth Paltrow are short-circuiting their ability to rationalize
These unemployed Americans tell us that hard labor market turbulence is still transitory.
What My Brain Scans About the Science of Persuasion
Jane Fraser has a plan to remake Citigroup while tormenting rivals
MLB Tests Tactics to Solve Baseball’s Boredom Problem
© 2021 Bloomberg L. P.