There is no doubt that many of the climate change scenarios are extremely challenging to our flood defence role. Southern Region is dominated by its coastline. Climate change will make it extremely difficult to maintain standards of defence against both flooding and erosion.

-Gary Lane, Regional Water Manager, Environment Agency, Southern Region.

The South East avoided the famous Easter Floods in 1998 but this is no reason for complacency. Climate change will mean more winter rainfall, wetter soils in winter and a greater risk of extreme flooding.

(no source)

Doing nothing is not an option. You may doubt some of the predictions and their likely impacts, but I suggest that a sensible analysis of the risks does not allow us to sit back and wait.

Peter Ewins, Chief Executive, The Met. Office. From a lecture given to The Royal Academy of Engineering, January 1999.

I wonder how much worse it would be if a large percentage of land were concreted over in the South East Plan?

Jez.