Global warming - bring it on?

The weather seems totally up the creek at the moment, probably without a paddle. It is, quite simply, lovely outside. It has been for a few days now, and the outlook for the rest of the week is more of the same. 

As you will know from previous blogs, I love the sun. The bright days and blue skies make me smile, lift my mood and make the world seem more bearable. Just! If this is global warming, in many ways bring it on. 

Of course I don't mean that, as I know it will cause suffering in many places, in particular those countries that are experiencing unusual levels of flooding. The extreme temperatures that we are promised in the next few decades are not yet affecting us, but the higher than normal rainfall is. Not that you'd notice it in the south east of England which is officially and somewhat ludicrously on drought alert. 

The water companies really ought to be shot for allowing us to get into this position. Since 1976, the hottest summer in living memory, they have been complaining on and off about ground water levels, reservoir levels and lack of rainfall, all in one of the greenest and most fertile countries on earth. How on earth would they cope if they worked in the hot arid areas of Africa or the Mediterranean? They say that they are investing in their infrastructure and becoming more efficient, but all you and I see is our bills increasing and the same old complaints and restrictions year after year after year.

If it is so difficult to harvest enough water from rainfall within existing infrastructure, we have to look elsewhere. Build some more reservoirs in the places which experience regular shortages, invest in desalination, research other methods of cleaning dirty waste to make it fit for use. Alongside this replace the old Victorian pipes which many places still depend upon and which leak like sieves. Reduce fat cat bonuses for the top bosses in these companies until they are more efficient and employ more workers using more sustainable materials to future proof the service. I know there is a cost to all this, but I think if we could see some tangible proof of improvement we wouldn't mind paying. And it's not rocket science!

In the meantime, we all ought to curb our excessive usage. Shower instead of bath, only use the dishwasher when it's full, only wash clothes when they are actually dirty and not just because you have worn them for five minutes. I never forget having an argument with an old work colleague who recycled everything religiously and insisted on getting it squeaky clean beforehand - she used the world's most precious resource (yes, water) to wash her tin cans in the dishwasher just so she could put them in the recycling and not in the bin, and the irony was lost on her!

I will not be growing any crops this year as we are not allowed to use the hosepipe and I can't be fagged to carry the watering can up and down the garden about twenty times an evening when I get in from work. Life is simply too short, and it's not as though growing your own saves you money, it's damned expensive.

And I may well be complaining to Southern Water that instead of stopping me watering my plants, maybe they should stop people filling swimming pools and ponds. And get on with updating their service - it's about time!