Floods in Europe will cause five times more damage by 2050

Europe’s flood problem is about to get much worse. The good news is there is a solution, says a new report from the European Environment Agency – the first assessment to cover the whole of Europe, according to New Scientist.

The floods just keep coming and Europe’s citizens are suffering. There have been more than 3500 floods since 1980, says the report, and the trend is upwards. In 2010, no fewer than 27 countries were affected by 321 floods.

“The recent flood problems in the UK are adding to evidence of worsening flood problems in Europe,” says co-author Beate Werner. One cause is more rainfall, such as the record December precipitation in parts of the UK. But much of the actual damage arises because rivers have been cut off from their natural floodplains.