FLOODING in Devon has again brought problems for residents in East Devon and fears such severe floods will become the norm.

FLOODING in Devon has again brought problems for residents in East Devon and fears such severe floods will become the norm.

With locals saying they have never seen such extreme weather conditions, such issues were raised at an event on climate change held at East Devon District Council's chamber last Thursday (December 11).

The American film The Eleventh Hour referred to how events such as Hurricane Katrina will occur more frequently because of changes to our climate.

Organised by the Vision Group for Sidmouth, its secretary, Jeremy Woodward, reported on the event saying: "The point is not to be alarmist or all doom-and-gloom, but to show that because we have largely caused climate change, then we can do something about it.

"It's very much up to us, and local government seems very keen to engage with people to come up with practical solutions.

"All the data tells us it is not only happening but it has been caused by us treating the atmosphere as merely a giant sewer.

"The scientific readings and modellings unequivocally tell us the consequences will be more and more disruption of our climate."

He said decisions made by individuals, consumers and communities had brought about the problem so it was not beyond our control to solve it.

The aim of citizen-led initiatives such as the Vision Group is to raise awareness of such issues, encourage debate and explore what practical steps can be taken to deal with them.

Mr Woodward said: "Beyond building more effective flood defences at Pennington Point, we need to consider tackling the bigger picture.

"We need to consider how we can live on much less carbon dioxide-producing fuels and become more efficient in our use of resources."

He said there were plenty of practical ideas around, such as imaginative proposals from Devon County Council on managing traffic and using cars less, innovative projects for local energy production and a local programme for affordable warmth.

"The recurrence of the terrible flooding of last week has really focused attention on coming up with such solutions. Let's hope we can get there sooner than later," he added.