Mentions:
1: Martyn Day (SNP - Linlithgow and East Falkirk) declares continued deforestation of the Amazon is contributing to the forest’s inability to recover from droughts - Speech Link
Written Evidence May. 15 2024
Inquiry: Climate change and securityFound: More subtly, they assume that historical patterns of death due to crises such as floods, famines/droughts
Written Evidence Mar. 06 2024
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: drawn upon in the Government’s Resilience paper and the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report; that of droughts
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing level of hunger and disease in Latin America due to extreme climate conditions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains alert to increasing health risks in Latin America due to exposure to heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and severe flooding, as well as rising food insecurity and malnutrition. These extreme conditions are affecting the geographical distribution of infectious diseases, with climate suitability for dengue transmission reaching its highest level in recent years. The FCDO helps countries in the region address these challenges by exchanging knowledge and expertise and through our contributions to the Start Fund for humanitarian response.
Dec. 11 2023
Source Page: Drought investment must remain priority, experts urgeFound: Drought experts have highlighted the need to continue investing and preparing for droughts to ensure
Nov. 28 2023
Source Page: Review of the research and scientific understanding of droughtFound: ; and the management of droughts.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of pollution in Lake Windermere.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A thorough investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) into the pollution incident at Lake Windermere earlier this year remains ongoing, which involves examining further evidence from United Utilities (UU). If the EA determines a permit breach has taken place, it will not hesitate to take enforcement action up to and including a criminal prosecution.
Windermere is affected by pollution from a range of different sources, including sewage discharges from water company assets, private septic tanks/sewage works and road and agricultural run-off, as well as physical modifications. Climate change has also altered temperature, precipitation and weather patterns which can affect the lake's water quality, by altering nutrient cycles, water chemistry and aquatic habitats, and affect the amount of water resulting in droughts and floods.
The last Water Framework Directive full water body classification results in 2019 assessed that Lake Windermere achieved moderate ecologic status and is impacted by excessive nutrients, leading to algal growth and cyanobacterial blooms.
Recent data shows a 30% reduction in phosphorus – which can lead to algal blooms – entering the lake since 2020 and this reduction is predominantly due to EA-driven improvements to UU Wastewater Treatment Works.
Water quality modelling continues to quantify the different sources of pollution in Windermere and the impact that it is having in different parts of the lake. The EA is also working with the Love Windermere partnership to improve the overall health of the lake through behavioural and societal change.
Mentions:
1: Boyack, Sarah (Lab - Lothian) challenge, which is a now issue.We know that we will have more and more extreme weather events such as droughts - Speech Link
2: McArthur, Liam (LD - Orkney Islands) south that is worst affected in this regard, but we have seen the devastating impacts that floods and droughts - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Rennie, Willie (LD - North East Fife) advice to farmers elsewhere is confusing and conflicting, and there is no grant scheme other than for droughts - Speech Link
2: Hamilton, Rachael (Con - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) They are concerned that climate change is bringing significant droughts in late spring and summer, causing - Speech Link