This is definitely climate progress. Next up: urban rickshaws to reduce emissions?
From a Newcastle University press release:
Growth versus global warming
A three-year project led by Newcastle University for the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has outlined how our major cities must respond if they are to continue to grow in the face of climate change.
Using the new UK Climate Predictions ’09 data for weather patterns over the next century, the research looks at the impact of predicted rises in temperature – particularly in urban areas – increased flooding in winter and less water availability in summer.
The report “How can cities grow whilst reducing emissions and vulnerability” focuses on the particular challenges facing London but can be used as a model for other UK cities on how policy-makers, businesses and the public must work together to prepare for climate change.
As well as protecting our homes and buildings against the increased threat of flooding from rising sea levels, the report emphasizes the need to reduce our carbon emissions, reduce our water usage and move towards cleaner, greener transport.
Newcastle University’s Dr Richard Dawson, one of the report’s authors, said: “There’s not one simple solution to this problem. Instead we need a portfolio of measures that work together to minimize the impact of climate change while allowing for our cities to grow.
“Most importantly we have to cut our carbon dioxide emissions but at the same time we need to prepare for the extremes of weather – heat waves, droughts and flooding – which we are already starting to experience.
“The difficulty is balancing one risk against another while allowing for the expected population and employment growth and that is what our work attempts to address.”
Led by Newcastle University’s Professor Jim Hall, the project is the result of three years’ work to decide how our cities should respond to the threats of climate change.
Promoting the development of cycleways and public transport, low-carbon energy and water recycling it also shows how solving one problem can exacerbate another.
Dr Dawson explains: “Heat waves like the ones being predicted to occur more frequently in future are extremely serious, particularly for the eldest members of our population.
“To combat the problem we often resort to switching on the air conditioning. This is not only energy intensive (and therefore has potential to raise carbon dioxide emissions that drive climate change) but works by cooling the inside of the building and expelling hot air outside, raising the overall air temperature in the city as well.
“This can amplify what is known as the ‘urban heat island’.”
To reduce this problem, the authors show that one option might be to stimulate growth along the Thames flood plain as the water helps to keep the overall temperature lower.
“The problem then is that you are building in the flood plain so you have to prepare for a whole different set of challenges,” explains Dr Dawson. “Houses built on stilts, flood resilient wiring where the sockets and wires are raised above flood level, and water resistant building materials are going to have to be incorporated into our building plans.
“Good planning is the key – we have shown that land use planning influences how much people travel and how they heat and cool their buildings, and hence the carbon dioxide emissions.
“Land use also determines how vulnerable people will be to the impacts of climate change. Our research enables policy makers to explore these many issues on the basis of evidence about the possible future changes and to analyse the effectiveness of a range of innovative responses, so they can better understand and prepare for climate change.”
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council.
Idiots. If they were serious about sea level rise they could just feed he damn water into the world’s deserts.
This reminds me of the “nasal deodorant” marketing. You convince people that they have a problem that they can’t sense. In this case it is something like “do you know what the inside of your nose smells like to someone else?” and then tie “nasal odor” to bad breath with someone like “if it stinks going in, it will stink coming out”. So now you have people worried that they might have nasal odor and that might be causing bad breath that no mouthwash will cure. Then you spring “nasal deodorant” on them to “fix” the “problem”.
So you have this “rising sea level” problem that has not actually been observed but someone is going to make a million bucks selling people on ways to mitigate a problem that doesn’t really exist.
It’s all a bunch of “nasal deodorant” if you ask me.
I don’t suppose you can blame Newcastle university for taking our money off the Tyndall centre via public bodies we fund. The North East is a cash strapped part of the UK. But reallly – stilt houses? Please.
If there is urban flloding in winter and water shortage in summer, this is a failure of planning control and infrastructure investment, not a harbinger of climate change. Spend the money there, noy on fancy graphics of Thailand on Thames.
And when the Thames freeze over residents can ice skeet into the city for work and recreation.
News Flash: The WBGU has spoken.
‘the WBGU study says the United States must cut emissions 100 percent by 2020—i.e., quit carbon entirely within ten years.’
Source: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmY0NmE5YWZlNWFjZWU3ZTkwMmNjZDIyYWY1NjU4Y2E=
My response would get me ‘snipped’ so I’ll just go with , NEIN.
We have a dictum “Match and (fire) Pump”.
A similar one in your countries?
It is amazing how nutty the AGW believers are. Not only is there going to be a rising ocean but that it will happen so fast that we have to prepare as soon as possible. Many people suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. From Wikipedia: “Individuals suffering GAD typically catastrophise, anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friend problems or work difficulties.” This must be a new version: Global Warming Anxiety Disorder. It fits well.
This one’s always good for the “rising seas” carpetbaggers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1066712/Uncovered-lost-beach-Romans-got-toehold-Britain.html
Someone is trying to justify their jobs…
Let’s kind of put this in perspective. My home is on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. It was built in 1860 something… a major renovation in 1890 left gas pipe connections sticking out through all the walls…. lately I’ve had a few “issues” about floor joists that were the result of decisions made after the hurricane of 1938… What is it I’m supposed to be worried about again? These…. “people”…. use thus kind of garbage to justify raising my insurance rates…..
Three years to produce this report? I wonder what sort of grant they received…
Why stilts?
The Dutch simply decided to build houses that float.
That being said, I never could figure out people who wanted to live in ‘flood-able’ areas.
Given me high ground with lots of trees any day of the week, and yes, I would have a fire-break’ [to he11 with what the government wants, or thinks].
If this UK University publishes these global warming solutions then no wonder so many current graduates can’t find any jobs! The concepts can only come from a grant dependent source prepared to ignore facts and opt for politico-science garbage.
They should make those stilts 25 feet high then because according to Gore they seal level will rise at least 20 feet.
God I hate those idiots… I’m trying to raise money for good research that will benefit mankind and those guys get millions to tell some fairytale that will never come true. I have some good advice for you Dr Dawson, you better make sure people can skate once they get down from their stilt houses… the oceans will be frozen.
This is an example of the waste of money and resource that is occurring as the result of blind belief in unvalidated computer models.
Have these people even TRIED looking at the sea level rise charts?
It simply isn’t matching the predictions.
NOWHERE in either the 2001 or 2007 IPCC sea level rise predictions, is there a flattening or decline in Mean Sea Level. It is always shown increasing.
Even their best “Best Case” scenario from 2001shows at least a 2mm/year lower bound for the current time period. Their most recent 2007 “Best Case” is 3mm/year. Their upper “Worst Case” lines are both higher still.
MSL has been about 1mm/yr. for the last five years, and has been flat or declined over the last three, depending upon how you look at the charts.
What do you call it when a scientific prediction fails to materialize?
We’re outside the error bars here, folks.
http://sealevel.colorado.edu/current/sl_noib_global.jpg
And to add to all of that … remember back when the “Trak 2” razor came about? SNL did a spoof commercial for the “Trak 5” with five blades “because you’ll buy ANYTHING”.
And sure enough, you can go to the store today and buy a razor with 5 freakin’ blades.
This is about making huge amounts of money by telling children that there is a problem that they will willingly pay to mitigate when they become adults.
So what do we do about the global stupidity problem?
How did this guy get accredited as a Dr? no, really? Have British academic standards plummetted so badly?
I wonder if these houses on stilts could have moving legs so that when you want to move house you can just walk your house somewhere new.
Out of every negative there must be a positive ; )
Houses have long been built on ‘stilts’, or raised foundatins, at Shiplake and other villages along the Thames valley. Nothing new under the sun.
‘foundations’ – doh!
The stilts might be a good idea to build on the newly drying continental shelf exposed due to potentially dropping sea levels.
Lets call them poor man’s pylons.
If the climate ain’t warming, it’s because it’s cooling.
If the Sea Levels aren’t catastrophically rising, it’s because they are about to drop like a rock.
R U Prepared? Got your new beachfront property extension deed all set to go?
It seems Anthony has realised he has a sizeable UK contingent here 😉
I hope they add anti-freeze to the water otherwise those houses will be collapsing in winter faster than a Geordie girl on a night out.
Actually houses on stilts is a good idea. Here in the UK they build housing estates on flood plains and when the decadel rains arrive complain the government has not done enough to control the flooding. doh!
So what do we do about the global stupidity problem?
Nuthin’. Nature writes it as a zero-sum game.
Someone once told me the dividing line goes like this:
There are those who don’t know, and those who don’t suspect.
It was the latter type that really worried him.