|
Surfers Against Sewage – supporting action on climate change....Why they are doing things to help the climate.... Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaign for clean, safe recreational waters. They recognise that climate change has the potential to have a massive impact on the surfing community and are keen to do all they can to highlight these issues. There are over 600,000 people surfing in the UK and Cornwall has always been one of the surfing community’s favourite What they are doing.... SAS has spent the last year researching the potential impacts of a changing climate and have recently published their findings in ‘Climate Change a Surfers Perspective’. They are concerned that surfers in the UK could suffer from:
As well as affecting the surf community, many of the concerns they raise will also have impacts for the rest of us in Cornwall. One of the main concerns the report highlights is how the predicted increase in rainfall will impact our coastal waters. As rainfall volumes and intensities increase, our sewerage systems will have to cope with higher volumes of wastewater. SAS fear that there will be more incidents of untreated sewage entering our coastal water as overstretched sewage treatment plants struggle to deal with increased rainfall. This wetter weather is also expected to lead to an increase in diffuse pollution from flooding which can cause many pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides and animal faeces to 'run off' the land and into watercourses that empty into coastal areas. The report also examines the impact climate change could have on sea level rise. Even small rises of less than 1m could result in the shifting of the tidal zone slightly, SAS say the report provides enough evidence to warrant action for us all to reduce the amount of energy we use. They are already encouraged by the development of the offshore renewable energy sector in the UK, which includes projects such as 'Wavehub' a wave energy site proposed off the north Cornish coast. They are also urging surfers themselves to take action in reducing their own carbon footprints. The report highlights a number of things that surfers (and others) can do to help tackle climate change including the following recommendations:
Why it’s important….. We are already starting to see changes to our climate in Cornwall and it is predicted that we are likely to experience:
Surfing is an important part of life for many in Cornwall, both for those that surf, and for those that benefit from the money that visiting surfers bring into the local economy. Cornwall also has an excellent reputation for clean, accessible beaches that bring thousands of tourists here each year. One of the risks we face from wetter and stormier weather in the Duchy, if we do not start tackling climate change, is we will damage some of the pristine beaches and this could have a knock on effect for both surfers and the wider tourist industry that is so important to our local economy. But it is not too late to tackle climate change. Small changes, like those being promoted by SAS, can help make a real difference to the future of our climate. The way we all carry out everyday actions such as travelling, heating our homes and businesses and using electricity for lights and appliances leads to production of greenhouse gases and in particular carbon dioxide. Whenever this is released into the atmosphere we are contributing to climate change, but every tonne of emissions avoided reduces the threat of climate change. If we all work together we can start to reduce the carbon emissions we are responsible for. Simple things like switching off unneeded lights and turning off appliances that are not in use really do make a big difference. It really is the case that this generation will tackle climate change.Further information.... To find our more about climate change you can visit our understanding climate change pages. To find out more about the likely impacts of climate change in Cornwall and the South West you can visit the UK Climate Impacts Programme. In addition, the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership has produced an outline of some of the key impacts for the South West, its available in PDF format from this link. You can find out more about the work of SAS from their website. For more information on their report ‘Climate Change a Surfers Perspective’ and to download a copy follow this link. They have also produced a short 30 second film showing how the future of surfing could be if we don’t start to tackle climate change now (this is a QuickTime format).
|
OptionsThis StoryListen again to this story.... Related Stories17. Climate Change will affect us all 35. Its not to late to tackle climate change Related LinksClimate Change SAS UK Climate Impacts Programme Wave Hub
|
locations. They recognise that surfers rely on a combination of clean, safe water, consistent swells and favourable tidal conditions to get the most out of British waves. Yet climate change could dramatically alter this, and SAS want to highlight these impacts and encourage the surfing community to do what they can to help prevent its worst effects.
so that low tides are not so low and high tides are higher than they are today. This would impact our coastal environments and reduce the amount of time available for surfing. Added to this, sea level rise is likely to increase erosion at some beaches, which could make those that that back onto cliffs or sea walls unsurfable at high tide. The same erosion could also impact tourists that visit Cornwall each year, making some beaches less accessible. 