(12l) Storms batter UK

The UK, being battered with one storm after another since more than one month. I feel sorry for the people as some areas are flooded for months while certain parts of the country already disappeared under the waves and as a result quite a number of people had to leave their house. And still there is no end to these storms with more predicted to come, beating the coastline day after day, while the inland areas are soaked, making the land softer and weaker and thus even more vulnerable for the power of the oceans. Recently, land under railways were washed away and houses close to the oceans needed to be evacuated as waves larger than houses splash against the land. Let us hope the storms will stop. But as I mentioned in another article, I think that as long as the extreme cold weather continues in North-America while temperatures in Europe are to high for this time of year (winter), these destructive storms may continue.

Prince Charles visited the affected region as one expect from the future Head of State, certainly when the Queen as Head of State is too old to visit such an area.

PM Cameron and his environmental minister on the other hand are criticised for not really caring for the affected region although the PM had his first meetings as chairman of the government's disaster committee Cobra and promised help to those affected. Indeed, sometimes it is better that the Head of government overlooks the relieve efforts and provides the financial need if necessary while someone else overlooks the damage. (These storms may stop the recent recovery of the economy).

And although PM Cameron acknowledges that the adverse weather conditions may be the result of climate change, still he believes in fracking (i.e. exploitation of shale gas to burn it). Indeed, although weather conditions in the UK over the past year changed from one extreme to another, people who are against fracking are called green extremists "close to Trotskyites" who endanger reaching a consensus on climate change. Also Mr Manzoni has been employed by the government to lead the Major Projects Authority and thus probably fracking as he has experience in that field. During these storms it should be the moment to convince people of the need to invest in green energy and not only in profits by promoting burning more gas (so-called so less coal will be burned).

And thus, although for decades Prince Charles may have been right when calling for more actions against climate change, his current government is one of the greatest advocate against anything that comes close to unlimited renewable green energy by promoting nuclear energy and shale gas so the country can become self-sustainable; and this when the country becomes smaller due to the bad weather. Let us hope Europe can convince the UK to return to promoting green energy before all is too late for the islands although it may be more likely the UK may convince the rest of Europe to start fracking.

And I believe fracking is not the solution. In the US areas already start feeling the consequences because, according to a new report, it requires too much water and thus less is available for people and nature (although one will claim this report is written by green extremists). Also ground water becomes contaminated. And I wonder what happens when all gas is removed out the ground; may it become hard as stone? Although questioning fracking may be dangerous.

By the way, I was not always against nuclear energy and admired the people who where able to invent such a powerful technique. But it pollutes too much (nuclear waste and what to do with it?) while it can escape our control when things go wrong and then the consequences are huge as the disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima proof. And thus, if there are safer options such as sun and wind energy than I believe we should invest in those new energies so that we can gain enough energy from safe sources. And by doing it now, we can still use the old industry while investing in the newer one because the argument is that we can't change overnight. The nuclear fuel can still be used to power satellites if necessary.

Of course, maybe I am a Trotskyite and is fracking the way forward. Future will tell.