Climate Chaos

Our climate is changing – and fast. The earth is warming at an alarming rate, triggering more unusual weather patterns that can and are causing more natural disasters.

Attempts are being made to check emissions of carbon dioxide, responsible for global warming, but as one country introduces measures to promote cleaner, safer forms of energy production, another decides to build more power stations that burn fossil fuels and causes the planet to warm further. Such huge differences in thinking are making efforts to challenge climate change even more difficult than it is already.

The implications for recreational water users are huge.

In particular the UK can expect to see more rainfall during the winter months, making winters milder but wetter. The summers are likely to become hotter and drier, but extreme weather events will occur causing localised flooding. With sewage treatment works required to store and treat sewage and wastewater many will find difficulties in coping with increased flows of water and will have to discharge it untreated through storm sewer overflows. This could result in more pollution incidents and raises the risk of getting ill from sewage-contaminated water.

SAS is concerned that the water industry is not yet ready for this challenge and we are lobbying for those preparations to be made.

The longer-term implications of climate change could require 'R.I.P' notices to be placed at certain beaches. Rising sea levels because of global warming could lead to a loss of waves at low tides, oceans may become more acidic, choking the life out of our ‘playgrounds’ and making it a lonely place to surf or sail. And the prospect of a reprieve for nuclear power could result in more localised pollution from radioactive discharges and signs posted from environmental agencies saying not to use the water for recreation. There is much to be concerned about but there are solutions.

SAS are campaigning for the UK to invest in more offshore renewable energy technologies that produce clean and safe energy at no cost to the environment. The UK is well placed to become a world leader in offshore wind, wave and tidal energy and with little or no carbon dioxide emitted in the processes there is little to fear. SAS has embraced this technology and is campaigning for it’s use in strategic areas of the UK to help meet our renewable energy targets set down by the Kyoto protocol and because it can offer a long term solution to meet our energy needs and protect the water we use for recreation.

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