Global Warming

EU denies 'daft rules' on conservation are to blame for floods in Ireland.

European chiefs have flatly rejected claims that its conservation rules are partly to blame for record floods in Ireland.

On the back of unprecedented rainfall – as much in December as would normally fall all winter – officials in Brussels insist environmental rules do not ban dredging of rivers.

They also warned that digging mud and silt out of rivers is not always the answer to flooding.

“Any suggestion that EU environmental rules are somehow to blame for the recent severe flooding in Ireland is completely without foundation,” the European Commission in Dublin said.

The staunch defence was issued as Met Eireann confirmed rainfall totals in December were double or triple what would normally be recorded in nearly all parts or the country.

Eighteen of its 23 of stations reported record amounts for the month with Cork’s Roche’s Point hit by 340.6 mm, Malin Head in Donegal recording 273.0 mm and Valentia Observatory, Co Kerry with 339mm.

The Commission statement was made as levels on the Shannon are at a peak last seen in the devastating floods of 2009.

It said European Union law does not ban dredging or dictate how countries manage rivers and neither does the Government need to tell authorities in Brussels if it plans to dredge watercourses.

“That is decided by Member States themselves,” the commission said.

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice had hit out at the EU Habitats Directive which he said enforced “daft rules” over the clearance of rivers and drains. :rolleyes:

The Commission warned that those rules do not take precedence over measures to protect lives and property.

“In particular they provide for situations of over-riding public interest to permit activities that might damage a Natura 2000 site but which are necessary for human welfare,” it said.

“The Directives do however require an assessment of the options available before a conclusion is reached that such damage is unavoidable.”

On dredging, the Commission said it may help ease problems in a local area but it may also transport the flood further downstream from a rural to an urban area with the added risk of damage to more homes and businesses.

“Therefore the basin-wide approach included in EU policies is essential to find effective and long-term solutions,” it said.

The Commission also said €705m was being made available to Ireland from 2014-2020 for investments in schemes to mitigate against and prevent issues from climate change.

The lengthy response also set out how the EU Water Framework Directive promotes sustainable management of water to improve ecology but gives exceptions for flood protection.

It also said exemptions to rules on protecting animals and bird species are allowed if there is a public safety issue and so long as no satisfactory alternative is provided.


“EU environmental legislation does not prevent taking action to address the problems of flooding but rather provides a framework to help ensure the environment sustainability of any such measures,” the Commission said.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/eu-denies-daft-rules-on-conservation-are-to-blame-for-floods-in-ireland-714231.html

I'm glad to see that Michael Fitzmaurice has been shown to be spoofing, but for the likes of him it's all about getting in the media on the back of events like the flooding crisis, that his claims about were without foundation comes as no surprise. Simon Harris was pedding a similar line btw, as a government junior minister he should have known better.
 
EU denies 'daft rules' on conservation are to blame for floods in Ireland.



http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/eu-denies-daft-rules-on-conservation-are-to-blame-for-floods-in-ireland-714231.html

I'm glad to see that Michael Fitzmaurice has been shown to be spoofing, but for the likes of him it's all about getting in the media on the back of events like the flooding crisis, that his claims about were without foundation comes as no surprise. Simon Harris was pedding a similar line btw, as a government junior minister he should have known better.

Typical of Irish politicians-blame the EU for their lack of activity
 
15 Inches of rain in 16 days El Nino

String of Storms Hitting California Due to Strongest El Niño on Record
back-to-back storms in the Pacific are threatening to douse parts of the West for more than two weeks, thanks to an El Niño weather system that is tied with the strongest ever on record.

The storms have begun to drench southern California, raising fears of mudslides. Light rain fell Monday, with heavier storms predicted for Tuesday. Two more storms are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, and could bring as much as 3 inches of rain, causing The National Weather Service to issue a flash-flood watch for California.


Crippling December Flooding Only Beginning of 'Godzilla' El Nino 1:33
El Niños are triggered when winds in the Pacific weaken or reverse direction, resulting in a warming of the ocean in the central and eastern Pacific, mainly along the equator. Clouds and storms follow the warm water, shifting jet streams and storm paths ss around the world.

They typically peak late in the year. The name "El Niño" (Spanish for "the boy," or "Christ child") was coined by Peruvian sailors, who were first to notice unseasonably warm water around Christmastime.

Last month, NASA experts warned the El Niño that had started wreaking havoc around the world in 2015 was only going to worsen in 2016, and said they feared it could get as bad as the 1997 El Niño, the most destructive one ever.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week that the current El Niño has now tied the strongest previous El Niño on record — but it appears to have peaked, the agency added.

An El Niño's strength is measured by sea-surface water temperatures in the Pacific, and from October through December 2015, water temperatures were 2.3 degrees Celsius above average, The Weather Channel reported. That ties the peak sea-surface temperature anomaly during the 1997-1998 El Niño.


Despite reaching its peak, El Niño is expected to impact California, along with the rest of the nation, in the coming weeks and months.

ou Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Warns NASA

As much as 15 inches of rain could fall in the next 16 days in Northern California, with about 2 feet of snow forecast in the highest points of the Sierra Nevada, National Weather Service forecaster Johnny Powell told the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, in the southern part of the state, flash floods could affect Los Angeles County communities that experienced wildfires last summer and fall. The persistent wet conditions will put the areas at risk for mudslides.

A flash-flood watch for wildfire burn areas in Southern California was in effect through Wednesday. Between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain is predicted through Friday, with up to 5 inches in the mountains.


El Niño has already caused wild conditions for much of the United States in recent weeks. It contributed to a balmy Christmas Eve, along the East Coast, with temperature peaking in the 70s in places, and is partly responsible for deadly storms and near-record flooding in the South and Midwest.

While the wet weather could be a boon for California, which is currently in a historic drought, the constant rains could easily overwhelm the state.

"The fear is some of these storms come and you get too much at once, which could lead to flooding concerns," Matt Sitkowski, a coordinating weather producer at The Weather Channel, told NBC News last week. "It doesn't take much in parts of California."

El Niños occur naturally every two to seven years. The December 1997 El Niño was blamed for extreme weather, including record rainfall in California and Peru, heat waves across Australia, and fires in Indonesia. The severe conditions resulted in an estimated 23,000 deaths in 1997 and 1998.
 
15 Inches of rain in 16 days El Nino

String of Storms Hitting California Due to Strongest El Niño on Record
back-to-back storms in the Pacific are threatening to douse parts of the West for more than two weeks, thanks to an El Niño weather system that is tied with the strongest ever on record.

The storms have begun to drench southern California, raising fears of mudslides. Light rain fell Monday, with heavier storms predicted for Tuesday. Two more storms are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, and could bring as much as 3 inches of rain, causing The National Weather Service to issue a flash-flood watch for California.


Crippling December Flooding Only Beginning of 'Godzilla' El Nino 1:33
El Niños are triggered when winds in the Pacific weaken or reverse direction, resulting in a warming of the ocean in the central and eastern Pacific, mainly along the equator. Clouds and storms follow the warm water, shifting jet streams and storm paths ss around the world.

They typically peak late in the year. The name "El Niño" (Spanish for "the boy," or "Christ child") was coined by Peruvian sailors, who were first to notice unseasonably warm water around Christmastime.

Last month, NASA experts warned the El Niño that had started wreaking havoc around the world in 2015 was only going to worsen in 2016, and said they feared it could get as bad as the 1997 El Niño, the most destructive one ever.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week that the current El Niño has now tied the strongest previous El Niño on record — but it appears to have peaked, the agency added.

An El Niño's strength is measured by sea-surface water temperatures in the Pacific, and from October through December 2015, water temperatures were 2.3 degrees Celsius above average, The Weather Channel reported. That ties the peak sea-surface temperature anomaly during the 1997-1998 El Niño.


Despite reaching its peak, El Niño is expected to impact California, along with the rest of the nation, in the coming weeks and months.

ou Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Warns NASA

As much as 15 inches of rain could fall in the next 16 days in Northern California, with about 2 feet of snow forecast in the highest points of the Sierra Nevada, National Weather Service forecaster Johnny Powell told the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, in the southern part of the state, flash floods could affect Los Angeles County communities that experienced wildfires last summer and fall. The persistent wet conditions will put the areas at risk for mudslides.

A flash-flood watch for wildfire burn areas in Southern California was in effect through Wednesday. Between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain is predicted through Friday, with up to 5 inches in the mountains.


El Niño has already caused wild conditions for much of the United States in recent weeks. It contributed to a balmy Christmas Eve, along the East Coast, with temperature peaking in the 70s in places, and is partly responsible for deadly storms and near-record flooding in the South and Midwest.

While the wet weather could be a boon for California, which is currently in a historic drought, the constant rains could easily overwhelm the state.

"The fear is some of these storms come and you get too much at once, which could lead to flooding concerns," Matt Sitkowski, a coordinating weather producer at The Weather Channel, told NBC News last week. "It doesn't take much in parts of California."

El Niños occur naturally every two to seven years. The December 1997 El Niño was blamed for extreme weather, including record rainfall in California and Peru, heat waves across Australia, and fires in Indonesia. The severe conditions resulted in an estimated 23,000 deaths in 1997 and 1998.

"Ill find my way to Marianna
on a wave of mutilation.......
 
This collapse in oil prices will slow the development of renewable energy :(

If the oil prices remain low over a period of time it will have a lot of unintended consequences. Places like London are the home for the Oil Billions. If the Oil Arabs and the Russians have to withdraw this money lost of assets will go into freefall.
 
Flooding happening once every hundred years, that's why you shouldn't believe everything so called experts say. The climate has always being changing even before industrialisation.

Lung cancer has always happened even before people people smoked tobacco so ignore all that scientific mumbo-jumbo about it being bad for you. Idiot.
 
EVENT GUIDE - HIGHLIGHT
Fairytale of The Pogues: A tribute by The Rapparees
Cork Opera House, Emmet Place, Cork

18th Oct 2024 @ 8:00 pm
More info..

Peader O Callaghan

Seventy Seven, Today @ 9pm

More events ▼
Top