The Stream, February 14: A Comprehensive Look at UK’s Record-Breaking Floods

Europe
The United Kingdom has been suffering a deluge of heavy rainstorms for months, leading to record-breaking floods that have inundated thousands of homes and businesses. In this comprehensive summary report of the floods, the Guardian examines how they might affect the country’s water management and the implementation of climate change adaptation measures.

Exploration projects for shale gas in Europe will be exempted from mandatory environmental impact assessments after the European Parliament Environment Committee’s recent vote updating laws governing EIAs, United Press International reported. Countries such as Poland and Britain said requiring EIAs at the exploration stage would hinder research and investment, while environmentalists argued that all stages of shale gas development could be potentially damaging to water supplies.

Asia
Statements by the Tokyo Electric Power Company this week revealed that it withheld information about record-high levels of strontium present in the groundwater near its damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, Reuters reported. The strontium readings were recorded in September, but were not released until this month due to uncertainty about their validity, according to the company, though nuclear regulators say they should have been released earlier.

China is looking at ways to reduce water pollution by treating more of the sludge found in wastewater, according to a report from the China Securities Journal, Bloomberg News reported. The report said that only 10 percent of China’s sludge is currently treated.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek