Becca Bayman, Liverpool North Socialist Party
As storms Austen and Boelo leave communities flooded, transport networks disrupted and, at the time of writing, more than 160,000 people without power, households are told to prepare for future emergencies by stockpiling bottled water and tinned food.
Andy Burnham has said that “unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common”. Scientists have warned for decades that climate change would increase the risks of extreme weather. Governments have had years to prepare for these threats, but essential infrastructure remains inadequate and working-class people are forced to pay for the consequences.
The advice to stockpile supplies places another responsibility on families already struggling with the cost of living. It falls short of essential measures, such as infrastructure to preventing homes from flooding, keeping electricity running, and ensuring food is available and affordable for all.
The National Audit Office has warned that Britain’s food supply chain is at risk, particularly in the face of the climate crisis, and that the Labour government has failed to act to improve its resilience.
Cuts to flood prevention infrastructure over recent years have also exposed the consequences of short-term saving when long-term investment is needed. Properly funded flood defences, resilient transport systems, and reliable and affordable energy supplies would reduce the damage caused by extreme weather.
Energy should be brought into public ownership under democratic workers’ control, allowing investment to be directed towards reliable supply, to the needs of communities rather than private profit. A democratically planned economy could invest across essential services and prepare for the effects of climate change before further extreme weather hits, not as a reactive measure after the fact.
