Thursday 6 February 2014

Conversations: An Environment Agency Bigwig and a Journalist

J: 'What do you say to accusations of incompetence over the recent flooding, particularly in the Somerset Levels?'
EA: 'The people working for the Environment Agency have been doing an excellent job in trying circumstances. We can't be everywhere and do everything, there are so few now after recent savage cuts'
J: 'There are 11,000 of you'
EA: 'Exactly, how can we cope with so few?'
J: 'Other countries have only a small percentage of the staff you have'
EA: 'Our role is very complicated'
J: 'In what way particularly?'
EA: 'Well take your questions for instance. You and others go on about floods, and sea defences and dredging'.
J: 'Only because they are relevant'
EA: 'Yes but what about wildlife? Do you want all the birds to die? As an agency committed to undoing the harm Man does we have to return land to the sea, to manage bird migration routes, to ensure we do everything possible to combat Global Warming.'
J: 'It hasn't got warmer for 16 years'
EA: 'Climate Change then, same thing'
J: 'Who asked you to return the Somerset Levels to the sea? To prioritise wildlife reserves?'
EA: 'We sometimes need to take the initiative'
J: 'On Climate Change?'
EA: 'Of course'
J: 'And stuff the people who get flooded, who you never told you had changed the rules. Never mentioned that the proven policy of dredging rivers was actually a mistake'
EA: 'No one could have predicted this'
J: 'What? Rain?'
EA: 'This much and it's windy'
J: 'We coped better in the past, when your 11,000 strong army didn't exist'
EA: 'In your opinion'
J: 'No the facts speak for themselves. You chose not to dredge, awful flooding followed'
EA: 'Look this is a nice part of the country, people like to come here to enjoy the scenery. A natural scenery, where the Levels flood'
J: 'Visitors from towns and cities?'
EA: 'Yes proper folk with a solid understanding of the important things, Climate Change, government cuts, the environment as an abstract thought. Anyway, are we done, its a long drive back to London'
J: 'You live in London, with proper flood defences and everything?'
EA: 'Yep. You have to let nature find Her way, but still protect important centres of population, and their property. None of the people who were flooded here believe in Climate Change, so its their own fault really'

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