The extreme weather events around the world over Christmas has lent yet more weight to the idea that the world’s climate is changingWeather and climate are, of course, very different things. But the sheer concentration of extreme weather events around the world over the Christmas period has lent yet more weight to the idea that the world’s climate is changing, even if the effects are currently exacerbated by the effects of El Niño.Thousands of homes in the north of England have been affected by severe flooding, some for the second or even third time in the past few years. Continue reading...

York residents and businesses deal with flooding crisis calmly, but some wonder if the government’s response would be the same if this was LondonPaddling an inflatable boat down Walmgate in York on Monday, the rescuers called out to Pat Harrington. “You OK up there, love?” they asked, having spotted her head poking through the net curtains of a first floor flat. “I’m absolutely fine!” trilled the 74-year-old. “I’ve got power, I’m nice and warm, I’ve got plenty of food left over from Christmas. It’s like luxury camping.”Harrington had no intention of leaving the flat she has lived in for 13 years, she said, but would simply wait for the flood waters to subside. She wasn’t the only resident of Walmgate staying resolutely put, despite the street’s transformation into a slightly whiffy Venice after the river Foss flooded for the first time in living memory. From a window opposite, Geoffrey Beacon said he was taking advantage of his enforced confinement. “I’m a very messy person so I’ve been tidying up,” he shouted down. Continue reading...

Leading accountant says many victims have inadequate or non-existent insurance, as PM faces growing anger over north-south ‘funding gap’The cost of the UK’s winter floods will top £5bn and thousands of families and businesses will face financial ruin because they have inadequate or non-existent insurance, a leading accountant has warned, as the government defended its record on flood defences.

Northerners are angry and feel the government would never have allowed this to happen in the south of EnglandGrowing up in postwar Leeds, you always knew where the Yorkshire Post stood on the issues of the day. You knew where its sister paper the Yorkshire Evening Post stood, too. The clue was in the name of the Victorian-era company that owned them both – Yorkshire Conservative Newspapers Limited.These were monopoly local papers which, in the manner of Tories of the Harold Macmillan era, routinely refused to use the word Labour, always preferring to talk about the Socialists. The Tory bias was a big reason why, though we lived in Yorkshire, my family always took, along with the Daily Worker, the more liberal Manchester Guardian. Continue reading...

Regional federation says fund designed to ensure high-risk households can obtain affordable insurance should be expandedTraders are pressing insurers to extend the scope of Flood Re, the not-for-profit fund to help households at high risk to obtain affordable flood insurance, as small business owners hit by the Christmas storms battle to keep their firms alive.The calls came as a leading accountant said the cost of winter floods across the UK w ould top £5bn, with about a fifth of the bill falling on those with inadequate or non-existent insurance policies. Continue reading...

• Floods continue to bring chaos to northern England• Environment Agency calls for complete rethink

BT says power outage has knocked out some services, and residents say that cash machines are down and shops are not accepting card paymentsThousands of York homes and businesses have been left without phone and internet services, after flood damage created a “ghost town” where shops and bars are reportedly only taking cash.Related: Cameron defends flood defence spending amid calls for 'complete rethink' - live Continue reading...

Daytime ban on all vehicles in place until Wednesday alongside other measures across Italy to reduce air pollutionThe city of Milan was brought to a standstill on Monday after the local government barred all traffic within Italy’s fashion and business capital because of persistent poor air quality.The daily ban on all traffic from 10am to 4pm, which has been put in place until Wednesday, comes as a host of other measures are adopted across Italy to reduce air pollution, including in the town of San Vitaliano, near Naples, where the mayor has blocked the operation of wood-fired ovens that are normally used to make pizza. Continue reading...

UK prime minister David Cameron visits the flood-hit city of York on Monday. Wading through floodwater in his wellies, he met emergency service workers and soldiers who have been deployed to help with the relief operation and volunteers filling sandbags. He says money spent so far on flood defences has helped to protect thousands of homes

Yorkshire Evening Post claims floods in Leeds would be ‘unthinkable’ in London or south-east, as others criticise funding gapThe government has been accused of neglecting its duty to protect northern England from flooding, with one Yorkshire newspaper claiming it would be “unthinkable” that the floods that have affected Leeds, York and Manchester in recent days could ever be seen in London.The Yorkshire Evening Post fulminates against the government, arguing that ministers would never have allowed the capital or the south-east to be devastated by floods. It said in an editorial: Continue reading...

Contrary to the clamour from the right, using the army to help flooding victims makes far more sense than redirecting overseas aidIt is a neat calculation: the first estimates of the end-of-year flood damage in the north of England suggested a bill of a little over £1bn. Or, as sections of the rightwing press maintained, pretty much the same as the UK spends on help for the world’s “20 most corrupt countries”. Cue indignation from the diehard opponents of the 0.7% of GDP that is currently earmarked for overseas aid.And if you are among those whose homes have been inundated over Christmas, and you’ve learned that requests for improved flood defences were turned down by Westminster, you might well agree. The money is there, you would say; it is just a question of redirecting it from maladministered projects and ministerial Mercedes abroad to nice, clean, value-for-money schemes here. Charity begins – does it not? – at home? Continue reading...

Met Office says parts of northern England already hit by Boxing Day floods should expect further rain and gale-force windsStorm Frank will batter the north and west of the UK on Wednesday with heavy rain and gale-force winds, including parts of northern England already hit by the Boxing Day floods.

Aerial footage shows the aftermath of the complete derailment of a 26-carriage freight train carrying 200,000 litres of highly corrosive sulphuric acid, in Queensland, Australia. All 26 carriages overturned after the train came off the tracks on Sunday. Access to the site is restricted as nearby roads are flooded following heavy rain. Police set a two-kilometre exclusion zone as they determine the impact of the accidentPhotograph: EPA/Queensland policeRead: emergency crews clean up after train derailed, spilling sulphuric acid

When my hometown flooded I thought it was no big deal, but after venturing into the city centre, it felt like the beginnings of an apocalypseYou always think, when you hear about people who ignore the warnings and go out in hurricanes, or refuse to be evacuated from fires, that you would never be so reckless and would get right away at the first sign of danger. Then my hometown, York, flooded and I thought, well, it floods every year and we usually walk into my favourite pub, the Lowther, on a gangplank raised over the water, so we’re all used to this. People who live beside the river always get their sandbags out. It’s no big deal.

David Cameron visits areas worst hit as EA deputy warns the UK’s climate is entering an era of ‘unknown extremes’David Cameron has visited some of the areas worst hit by flooding as experts warned that the UK’s climate was entering an era of “unknown extremes”.Communities in York, Greater Manchester, Leeds and scores of towns and villages across the north of England faced a daunting clearup as the scale of the flood damage became apparent. Continue reading...

Freight train carrying 200,000 litres of highly corrosive substance derailed in a remote area of Queensland on SundayFloodwaters are hampering efforts to clean up a remote site in north-east Australia where a freight train carrying sulphuric acid derailed on Sunday.The train was carrying around 200,000 litres of the highly corrosive substance when it came off the tracks near the small town of Julia Creek in western Queensland, police said. Continue reading...

Major international companies are using wind power to go green and save money.As a follow-up to a recent article I posted on renewable energy, this article discusses the economics of wind in both the developed and developing worlds compared to other renewable energy sources. At the recent climate conference in Paris, 70 countries highlighted wind as a major component for their emissions-reduction schemes.

Flood rescue teams in York go house to house to evacuate people trapped in buildings. Three cities – York, Leeds and Manchester – have been by affected by the severe weather, alongside scores of towns and villages, forcing the evacuation of thousands of households and businesses. Up to 300 British troops have been helping emergency workers, with another 200 more being dispatched to the worse-hit areas. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading...

This year exposed palm oil’s political, environmental and social ramifications like never before. Here’s what happened

An extra 1,000 soldiers are on standby as thousands of people are evacuated amid the threat of more heavy rain to come this week in northern EnglandBritain’s ability to cope with the “unprecedented” flood crises that hit several urban centres simultaneously over the weekend has been called into question after the failure of key flood defences in the north led to thousands of homes being put at risk.Three cities - York, Leeds and Manchester - were hit by the severe weather, alongside scores of towns and villages, forcing the evacuation of thousands in what David Cameron described as an unprecedented situation. The prime minister was expected to visit the stricken areas on Monday. Continue reading...

The former business adviser to Tony Abbott accuses world leaders of acting like ancient druids and pursuing ‘collectivist visions’ at the cost of ‘private choice’Tony Abbott’s former business advisory council chairman, Maurice Newman, has criticised Malcolm Turnbull and Barack Obama for prioritising “collectivist visions” over “private choice” in relation to climate change.Newman, who was not reappointed to the council by the Turnbull government, has accused world leaders of acting “like ancient druids pleading with the gods for good seasons” at the recent Paris climate talks. Continue reading...

No explanation given as inauguration of the Noor-1 plant – the first part of a massive new complex – in Ouarzazate is unexpectedly called offMorocco has postponed without explanation the inauguration of Noor-1, a solar power plant due to open Sunday in Ouarzazate, part of what will eventually be the world’s largest solar power production facility.When asked by AFP, the communications agency that organised the inauguration on behalf of Moroccan solar energy agency Masen gave no reasons for the last-minute delay. Continue reading...

Appeals from Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester raise funds after severe floods leave thousands evacuatedCommunity groups have raised more than £200,000 to help people who have been hit by flooding in northern England.The flood recovery fund appeal, run by Community Foundation for Lancashire, has raised around £130,000 to contribute to clean-up costs, emergency repairs, clothing, food and drink, heating and heating equipment and to provide childcare equipment and basic furniture. Continue reading...

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 1 January 1916SURREY

Empty rhetoric and even the army cannot substitute for coherent policy on flood preventionThe floods return, bringing with them the increasingly familiar pictures of distress: the debris of scoured-out houses, and the empty phrases of a hollow politician. “Unprecedented”; “whatever is needed”: Mr Cameron seems to have forgotten that he promised us “whatever it takes” two years ago. Clearly, it took rather more than he was then prepared to give. This time, the army has been sent in to reinforce his rhetoric. At least the floodwater is an enemy that will certainly have retreated in a week or two, although it will leave devastation and suffering behind.The victims of this catastrophe deserve better than the government is giving them. They are not just having their lives disrupted and their homes turned into dank and stinking shells. They will lose financially; they have lost security. In some cases they are being flooded for the third or fourth time in 10 years. The repetition should not deaden us to their suffering. Nor should the knowledge that these scenes will almost certainly be repeated, next winter or the winter after that. Climate change and inadequate preparation – a government that does far less than what it would take – ensure that the floods will become a painfully regular future of British life. Continue reading...

Simon Clark, a relative of mine, who has died aged 84, was a botanist of desert and upland plants, a leading authority on apple and pear varieties, a long-distance walker, gardener, photographer and bon vivant.At nearly 6ft 5in, and broad-shouldered, Simon was a towering presence, with a formidable striding gait who trod the footpaths of Britain, France and Spain into his mid-70s. He had a quiet demeanour, preferring the company of small groups, together with fine wine and food, to larger, more raucous gatherings. His intellectual curiosity, wit, humility and care for others won him many friends throughout his life. Continue reading...

Is it not time to think beyond the use of sandbags (Troops called into Cumbria, 26 December) and consider flood-defence systems that have worked elsewhere and have stood the test of time? We cannot just keep building higher banks and walls to keep each river within its existing narrow watercourse; the trend of increasing levels of flooding will go over the top or find a way round the side. We have the centuries-old Ouse and Nene Washes, plus a network of Fenland drains designed by Dutch engineers. Shouldn’t we ask them again for the benefit of their experience in the design of drainage systems by each river’s catchment area? Los Angeles, being an ancient delta, has concrete flash-flood drains that work well; even on film sets.Each area’s remedy requires significant central government funding for the purchase of land and the relocation of communities from extreme locations. It’s too much to accept being flooded out three times in a month.

Met Office issues yellow warning for areas of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria already hit by flooding while parts of Scotland also on alertHeavy rain is expected to hit flooded northern England again this week, accompanied by gales, according to forecasters.The Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning for parts of North and West Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, where Boxing Day floods affected the cities of Leeds, York and Manchester, and rivers in Pennine towns rose up to 1.5m (5ft) above their previous peak in some places. Continue reading...

Historic pace of land subsidence in state’s Central Valley, the most productive US agricultural region, drives need for extensive infrastructure fixesA canal that delivers vital water supplies from northern California to southern California is sinking in places. So are stretches of a riverbed undergoing historic restoration. On farms, well casings pop up like mushrooms as the ground around them drops.Four years of drought and heavy reliance on pumping of groundwater have made the land sink faster than ever up and down the Central Valley, requiring repairs to infrastructure that experts say are costing billions of dollars. Continue reading...

With the economy in tatters, the government has opened the country to prospectors operating without regulations or oversightIt’s a little before 7am on a bright, airless morning, and already Abdullah Idriss Isaac has been hard at work for hours.Swishing his aluminium pan back and forth through a waist-deep pool of brackish water, he wearily scrutinises its contents for glimmers of gold. With the sun beginning to beat down, the young miner splashes handfuls of the liquid – laced with mercury and cyanide to separate gold from unwanted rock – on his face to stay alert. Continue reading...

Army called in as flooding misery continues in York, Leeds and elsewhere4.37pm GMTHelen Pidd has the latest from Calder Valley2,000 properties "badly affected" by flooding in the Calder Valley, Calderdale Cllr Rob Holden says. Mytholmroyd "easily" the worst.4.03pm GMTThe floods have hit three cities and scores of towns and villages, in what the prime minister David Cameron described as an “unprecedented” situation. Continue reading...

At least 11 people have been killed in the Dallas area from a storm system packing torrential rains and unleashing a string of tornadoes that toppled homes, cut power lines and snarled transport for people returning from the Christmas holidays. The worst-hit area was in Garland, northeast of Dallas, where eight people were killed, cars blown off highways and homes flattened, officials said on Sunday

With each new deluge the UK learns nothing, unlike the Netherlands, which has adapted to the changing nature of the threatWhen more than 1,800 people died in the wake of the 1953 North Sea flood in the Netherlands, the national reaction was: never again. The resulting Delta programme to close off the south-western river delta from the sea was so bold that its name became synonymous with dealing with a crisis. If an issue needs a major response, you can be sure that a Dutch politician will call for a “Delta plan to tackle X”. It is time that the UK took some of that attitude and got a Delta plan to tackle flooding.Flooding has become an almost annual event in the UK. We are waiting for the next storm and flash flood to hit, with another group – or even the same group – of people evacuated, all followed by the promise of some money for a bit of flood defence work. As a nation, we can no longer afford to accept that. Consider the personal misery for those affected, even in areas not traditionally flood-prone like Manchester and Leeds. Consider that the financial cost of these events will continue to rise – and not only for the government. Every home insurance policy now includes a £10.50 Flood Re levy to subsidise insurance for homes with a high risk of flooding. Continue reading...

A team at Columbia University hope to use the energy produced by bacteria when they expand and contractA small Lego device on the shelf of professor Ozgur Sahin’s office at Columbia University could open up the possibility of another form of renewable energy, and one that is much cheaper than solar and wind.Sahin has used the simple gadget to prove that evaporating water can be used to generate power, which could eventually lead to energy being generated from still reservoirs. At the centre of the research by Sahin and his team in New York are spores of common soil bacteria that expand, much like a muscle, when there is moisture in the atmosphere, and contract in drier conditions. Continue reading...

With more than 200 flood warnings and alerts in place across England and Wales, the army have been called in to bolster flood defences and assist people in northern England. Hundreds more homes were evacuated on Sunday as further flooding was expected Continue reading...

Footage shows Goya city flooded by the overflow of the Paraná river in Argentina on Saturday. More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on by El Niño Continue reading...

Victoria police constable Mel Varker helps a koala distressed during the Wye River bushfires on Sunday. When Country Fire Authority members fighting to put out the fire near Lorne found the koala lying unconscious by the side of the road, they brought the animal back to their station and helped it back to recovery. It has been nicknamed Constable K Bear Continue reading...

• Met Office issues two highest-level red weather warnings