Global warming

I live in Sedgemoor on the Somerset Levels and I must say I love it – an area of special scientific interest – which has the advantage that, mercifully, it is almost impossible to get planning permission to build new houses. One thing I have noticed though, is that there is often a tremendous wind blowing - the wind is so seemingly powerful and consistent that I feel it could provide for most, if not all, of the UK’s energy needs. I am also convinced that the wind blows more strongly and frequently than it did when I was a small boy. This is, of course, just a subjective observation – I could be wrong. Another thing that has happened in Somerset in recent years is unusually severe flooding.

During three solid months, from December 2013 to February 2014, the rains came , as my mother used to say. As a consequence of this, the Somerset Levels hit the national headlines as the area suffered from extensive flooding. At one point in the winter floods, 65 km2 of land on the Levels were underwater. The floods were the most severe ever known in this area. What do the apparent increases in wind and rain have in common? You guessed it – they could be phenomena caused by global warming.

I must be nuts to try to do climate change and global warming justice in a mere one chapter of a book – if I spent a whole book discussing it, I would still only be giving something of an introduction. Also, I have by no means made any kind of particular study of it, while many others devote their entire lives to its analysis. But it’s such an important topic that I have got to give it some consideration; so here goes.