Three flood warnings, thunderstorms, hail and a tornado are threatening already flood ravaged areas over the coming days. Last month was the wettest June the UK had seen since detailed records began in 1914, and flooding affected over 30,000 homes and 7,000 businesses, devastating crops and costing up to £1.5 billion. 

As a response, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said the Government will increase flood defence spending from £600 million this year to £800 million a year in 2010. However, integrating flood risk management activities and improving the UK’s resilience to flooding remains a challenge.  

CIWEM Executive Director, Nick Reeves, says:

“Flash floods, extreme temperatures, water scarcity…..the list, just goes on. The floods of June and July caused – in part at least – by record-breaking rainfall were the strongest hint yet that climate change is shortening the odds on catastrophic and expensive environmental crises in Britain. We have to ask, how much has been learned from the recent past – and what resources are we, as a nation, willing to spend to reduce the risk? 

Until this conundrum is solved we will never have towns and cities that are truly sustainable, and some poor souls may never be secure in their own homes.” 

CIWEM is looking to provide some answers at their annual conference, The Global Environment 2007. CIWEM will be addressing key issues such as flood warning, the role of the planning system in managing flood risk and the use of flood mapping and modelling, as well as examining practical case studies from developments such as the Thames Estuary 2100 project. 

Speakers include CIWEM President Elect David Rooke MBE, Head of Flood Risk Management for England and Wales, Environment Agency and Peter Bide, Communities and Local Government, as well as a range of speakers from organisations including Atkins, Environment Agency, Halcrow, Jacobs, Royal Haskoning, Mott MacDonald and MWH. 

The Global Environment 2007 is a three-day, 42 session event at London’s Brit Oval addressing the strategic issues in water and environmental management. By listening to presentations, debating, networking and taking part in interactive workshops, delegates will learn about the cross-organisational challenges facing the sector and world-class innovative solutions being developed and deployed to meet these challenges.