Flood defences: George Osborne tackled yesterday's crisis at the cost of today's | Chris Huhne

The chancellor's flood defence cuts were driven by deficit reduction. But we can't continue learning by drowningThere is no excuse. In 2010 the coalition slashed spending on flood defences when it should have gone up. Even last year's increase in flood defence spending was under duress. The insurers, some of the most enlightened big businesses on this issue, have repeatedly warned about the rising claims and losses from climate change-induced extreme weather.A confidential deal struck last June, ahead of the spending review, increased flood defence spending as a payback for the insurance companies continuing to provide cover for 350,000 homes at high flood risk. The Association of British Insurers had the Treasury and Owen Paterson, the climate-sceptic environment secretary, over a barrel.If the government had not increased flood defence spending, the insurers would have pulled cover. Since you cannot get a mortgage on a property without buildings insurance, and with one in six homes at some flood risk, that would have put a torpedo through the chancellor's housing market revival.The 2010 cuts were entirely driven by the chancellor's impatience for deficit reduction, rather than by climate scepticism. This was long before Tory wobbles on windfarms and climate science. We tackled yesterday's crisis at the cost of today's. The proof is the divergence of the two Whitehall departments with responsibility for climate change.Oddly, the budget for the Department for Environment, Foo...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Comment The Guardian George Osborne Flooding Society Public sector cuts Climate change Politics UK news Conservatives Environment Science Comment is free Source Type: news