Defra turns to canals in fight against climate change

Government canal policy could be influenced by a new report on how waterways can lessen the effects of climate change.

Research due out at the end of March will examine how canals have been used across Europe. Defra will use it to establish strategies that could be copied or adapted in the UK.

John Manning, policy adviser at the Inland Waterways Advisory Council (IWAC), which commissioned the study, said: “We expect the report to cover issues such as transport, energy production, flood prevention and biodiversity.”

Jan Brooke, the environmental consultant conducting the research, said: “We want to learn lessons from other countries and find initiatives that might be appropriate here in the short and long term.”

A Defra spokesman said: “We’re serious about the issue of climate change and there is great value in this information. Any forward-thinking ideas will inform future policy.”

By Stephen Harris