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A flooded road outside Bangor, Co Down, in November. File photo by Jonathan Porter, Press Eye
We talk about the weather a lot and there’s certainly been plenty of rain to discuss and complain about over the last month, with above-average rainfall in many parts of the UK.
We’re used to soft April showers, not this prolonged period of sogginess.
The problem with this wet, wilder, and windier weather is not only the way in which it is impacting farmers, industry, and infrastructure, but crucially, the narrow way in which it is being discussed. In large part, the media has abstracted weather, completely divorcing the incessant rain and heavy winds from the context of climate change.
Storm Kathleen, which made its presence felt a few weeks ago, was the 11th named storm to beat down our doors this winter. Rising temperatures make these kinds of events much more likely, warming our oceans and increasing water vapour in the air.
The extremely difficult conditions facing coastal and rural communities only reinforces the need to climate-proof our society as much as possible.
In a recent BBC interview, the Ulster Farmers Union president, David Brown, talked about “wet weather”, describing the rain as “relentless”.
Weather is such a big part of agricultural life, and the water bombs associated with storms like Kathleen flood agricultural land, drown crops and suffocate the soil.
With yields down, this will also have a long-term effect on food security.
Climate change is putting farmers out of business, and it’s costing them money in many ways. For example, with animals unable to go outside to feed on the grass, farmers need to buy extra feed.
Climate concerns peak when climate impacts become obvious. However, unfortunately the connection between “weather” and climate impacts needs to be further solidified.
We know that significant numbers of people care about the future of the planet.
Environmental activist Rosalind Skillen
All five of the north's main political parties mentioned environmental issues in their 2023 Local Government Manifestos, but with varying degrees of prominence.
In the Alliance's manifesto, net-zero was a headline commitment setting out Northern Ireland’s role in the world. In the DUP's manifesto, the words “climate” and “net-zero” were not used at all although it did acknowledge the “environmental agenda”.
The impact of climate change on farmers means that food security and cost could become two of the most effective ways through which to talk about climate action.
This is especially true in 2024 when we’re living in a world much more concerned with security, including around food or energy supplies.
Truth be told, the rapidly changing weather conditions over the last month have shown us that climate change is moving much faster than our limped and half-hearted efforts to address it.
Rosalind Skillen is an environmental activist and writer @rosalindskillen