With the flooding that we have seen over recent weeks in our part of the world, and the increase in extreme weather that we are seeing across the globe, it is growing increasingly urgent that voters know which parties will take action on climate change and why staying in the EU plays a part in that.

Catherine Bearder (Lib Dem MEP for the South of England, pictured above in sunnier times) is urging local Councils to apply for EU Development Funding to help cope with the costs of the floods. Reading is a small unitary authority and so might not reach the threshold required to get support, but if we join forces with Wokingham and West Reading we could apply for money that could be used to repair and improve flood defences in our areas.

Being a member state of the EU doesn’t just mean giving money to other nations, the British people can and do apply for help when disaster strikes here too. I really hope that Reading Borough Council are actively exploring this income avenue for those that have been devastated by the floods. I live on the hill in Tilehurst and am unlikely to experience flooding in my own home, but my Mother lives down in Caversham and so I share the worries that many residents are facing as the rains continue to fall.

The Lib Dems are the party of ‘in’. We believe Britain should stay in Europe. One of the many reasons why is because climate change doesn’t stop at national borders. We believe it is crucial to work with other European countries to cut carbon emissions, promote green jobs, reduce pollution and protect biodiversity. If we don’t take collective action on climate change we are likely to continue to see unpredictable changes to our national weather.

Increasingly the food we eat and the natural resources we consume every day come from all around the globe, and we need a global plan for how to manage them. One country on its own can make little difference to the future health of our planet, but together, as the European Union, we have a real voice and the economic power to effect change.

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