We need to have a well-rehearsed emergency plan for these instances, as they will keep on taking place. My family certainly don’t have one.
Ken Sager, London
I recall my geography teacher telling me that climate is what happens over a 35-year average. Weather is what happens day-to-day. We’re having a spell of bad weather; let’s see in 34 years’ time if it continues. It’s less than 35 years since a geographer colleague was telling me we were heading into a new ice age.
Simon Glover, Kingston
There’s a strange deep freeze in the US, stronger than usual typhoons in the south, bad drought in Australia. Something is up with the weather. It feels like there’s more energy in the system, and that was predicted as a result of greenhouse gases. I’m 90% convinced we’re having an effect.
Karl Thomas, Swindon
No. I have always considered human activity to be a contributing cause. What it has made me reconsider is the government’s attitude towards places that are not London – low priority.
Ben Chivers, Bristol
Perhaps we should think more before building on areas prone to flooding. Perhaps we should put more effort into flood defences, drainage and replacing the natural features that soaked up floodwater in the past. Perhaps we should also stop blaming ourselves and accept that the climate changes naturally a bit more than we once thought.
Chris Greatrix, Gloucester
I have accepted for many years that humans were having a disastrous effect on the environment. I keep hoping that the politicians will stop worrying only about the next election and their own skins and start to act as though they cared.
Robin Luxmoore, Stokesley
Recent severe weather events have confirmed what has been predicted for some time. Regrettably, those forecasts were not sufficient for those in charge to take decisive action to reduce the impact.
Joachim Neff, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia
Human activity is influencing the climate, but we should remember that, even with no human influence, the weather would vary hugely. We should plan our housing and infrastructure accordingly.
Keith Thomas, Derbyshire
Living in Aberystwyth, the impact of the extremes of the forces of nature is all too evident along the promenade. We need to be stepping up co-ordinated activity – personally, nationally and internationally to moderate our man-made impacts.
Jonathan Cox, Aberystwyth
It’s probably a combination of natural events and human activity. One thing is for sure. Human beings are short-term thinkers who do not want to make sacrifices for the long-term good. Who would be prepared to give up driving their car for the common good? So problems are passed to the next generation.
Anonymous
It does not help when developers build on floodplains. It is not that long ago that we had droughts. It may help to build more dams to store the vast amount of water that has dropped.
Keith Dunnett, Aberdeen
The impact will be far bigger than it should be because politicians won’t keep out of it and let engineers put proper long-term solutions in place.
Kay Silver, Chelmsford, Essex
The reduction in natural drainage, through such things as increased building and paving of gardens, has exacerbated the situation.
Mr Grumpy, Teesside
Global warming has been going on for tens of thousands of years. Man has not caused it but may have accelerated it. The development of developing countries has an impact on energy demand and potentially aggravates the situation further. Nuclear power is the only reliable option today.
Colin Devereux, Bristol
I do believe human activity is playing its part. Maybe by understanding climate change we have an opportunity to gain control of it and find the right balance for the planet.
Rob Johnson, Stockton-on-Tees
Climate change is real, but in the western world we’ll adapt. It’s the poor in the developing world that will get the worst of it.
Anonymous
I remain doubtful if human activity is the main cause of climate change. We should be making every effort to conserve natural resources and the use of nuclear energy seems the best way of developing.
Ken Tamkin, Wokingham
Human activity is in part the cause of such chaos – keep waterways dredged and clear; no more new building on floodplains.
Anonymous
Too many people, too little space, too much use of resources! There is an answer, but it’s not palatable.
David Schaffert, Tewkesbury
Human activity is part of the cause of climate change. As for the recent flooding, human inactivity, mostly on the part of our politicians, is definitely the cause.
Stephen Downward, Cheltenham