For 129 years, the Corbridge Cricket Club stood peaceably next to the River Tyne, with the occasional batsman hitting the ball out of the park and into the water. Then, in December 2015, the river invaded the cricket club.
Amid torrential winter rain across the UK, Corbridge’s corner of Northumberland in north-east England experienced heavy flooding. “The whole south side of the village was flooded,” Michael Robinson, the club’s secretary, recalled. “The water went through our changing rooms and the pavilion.”
The club suffered roughly £100,000 (Dh460,000) of damage. Other parts of Corbridge fared worse. Some homes remain shut up and uninhabitable.
“There’s always a risk, sitting next to the river,” Mr Robinson said. “The environmental agency had been strengthening the flood defences. It was just that, in that year, Mother Nature decided she would come over the defences.”
Such extreme weather events are more and more likely to happen, as climate change affects the UK. The Corbridge Cricket Club is one of many sites of cultural, historical and natural significance across the UK that are threatened by climate change, according to a newly published report.
Co-authored by the non-profit Climate Coalition and Leeds University’s Priestley International Centre for Climate, the report describes how the UK is already experiencing some of the consequences of climate change.
“When you have a weather-related effect, you always wonder how much is down to bad luck and how much down to climate change,” said Piers Forster, the director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate. “Our calculations try to determine this. In the end, some weather events are just the weather, but climate change will be a contributing factor in some, and a dominant factor in a few.”
Based on field studies and media reports, Mr Forster and his colleagues identified a dozen case studies of special places under threat.
The Corbridge Cricket Club is one. So is the Mark Addy Pub in Lancashire, which was similarly flooded in December 2015 and remains closed.
On one of the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, the remains of a 5,000-year-old settlement are in danger because of “increasing frequency of storm events and sea level rise, which contribute to higher rates of coastal erosion,” said Mairi Davies, the climate change manager for Historic Environment Scotland, a government body.
In the Lake District, in the north-west of England, the childhood home of the poet William Wordsworth sits at the confluence of two rivers, both liable to flood in a season of extraordinary rain. It has already happened once. In November 2009, 300mm of rainfall in 24 hours completely wrecked the gardens. The National Trust, the UK government agency that tends to sites of national significance, spent £500,000 on repairing the damage.
Other threatened sites include the Slimbridge Wetlands in Gloucestershire, home to nearly 200 species of birds; the Birling Gap chalk cliffs in Sussex, endangered by coastal erosion; and the Beckmickle Ing woodlands, not far from the Lake District.
The report intentionally focuses on sites closely associated with British identity, Dr Forster said. “It was deliberate to try to appeal to a slightly different audience than normal — people who don’t normally consider climate change in their day-to-day lives.”
He concedes that traditional methods of imparting the message, such as putting out detailed academic analyses and sounding considered warnings — have failed to convey the magnitude of climate change. “I think the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump in the US shows that liberals have not been effective in engaging large sections of society.”
For Mr Robinson, floods are now an ever-present danger on the horizon.
The club repaired the damage to its playing field in time for the beginning of the 2016 cricket season last April. A new clubhouse will open this May, although this one has been built on stilts. “It’s a metre and a half off the ground, so that even if the river floods again, it’ll be OK,” Mr Robinson said.
Climate change is an issue, he acknowledged. “We’re in February, and I’m looking out of my bedroom window, and it isn’t cold. The wind has become milder, and we get rain rather than snow. We hope that the December 2015 flood was a sort of once-in-a-lifetime thing, a monumental thing. But we know the climate is changing. I think the thing to do is, you just have to get on with it.”
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MATCH INFO
Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)
Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no
Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)
Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22
Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
THE%20SPECS
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
