Caroline is demanding that the Government does far more to protect people from extreme weather. She's calling for a halt in building on floodplains and urgent changes in landuse patterns to reduce the risks from flooding. 

 

Her comments come after it was revealed that there are 10,000 homes a year being built on floodplains. 

 

She said:

 

“As well as being devastating for those who experience them, this winter’s floods are the loudest possible wake-up call to the Government to do far more to protect the country from extreme weather events associated with climate change.   Their complacency - including ignoring recommendations on reducing flooding risk from the Committee on Climate Change - is inexcusable.  And while we can’t stop the rain, we can take urgent action to ‘slow the flow’ - changes in landuse patterns, protecting and enhancing peat bogs and wetlands, restoring natural rivercourses, planting trees, using Rural Sustainable Drainage systems and Sustainable Urban Drainage can all significantly reduce risk of extreme flood peaks. It's inexcusable that the Government has failed to learn lessons from floods in the past, leaving thousands of people and their homes at risk. 

 

"The high number of homes being built on floodplains is deeply concerning. As many of us have been arguing for a long time, we must stop building on floodplains, and also give water companies a statutory role in the planning process.

 

"But we also need to acknowledge that our policies on energy and transport are heading in entirely the wrong direction.  This is a 1-degree warmed world.   Over the past few weeks, we've had a reminder of the importance of the agreement in Paris to restrict total warming to 1.5 degrees.  Cameron needs to follow up his climate rhetoric in Paris with urgent action at home."

 

For more details on what Caroline thinks should be done to address the flooding risk you can read her blog from last February.