Cold Weather: Should Europe be more prepared? [ENDS 19/02/2012]

[Grig]

Cold Weather: Should Europe be more prepared?
Ends: 19/02/2012

With the recent onslaught of colder weather and snowy conditions, we are getting the same situation as we had for the past 2 years, where many airports grind to a halt, people scramble from work and logistics fall apart. The owner of Heathrow himself recently stated that the airport cannot be prepared as it's too full.

Some say that it is not worth dishing out the money for such a cold snap, seeing as it rarely happens and it's not worth wasting money for various specialized tools, such as defrost equipment, found commonly in colder European countries in the East.

Other say that it is ridiculous that no one has learnt the lessons of the last 2 years and the economic losses from delayed flights and logistical chaos is not worth what is saved.

Of course there are many more reasons that could be discussed and debated. So, now it's up to you to decide whether we should invest more into preventing the chaos or whether it is simply not worth it seeing as it happens rarely.

[Mathew]

Of course we should be more prepared and it's quite an embarrassment when the country practically falls apart whenever there's a cold spell. Some countries are dominated by snow for most of the year and they've adapted to the conditions over time. I think in light of all the "scientific research" in favour of global warming, you'd expect the government (or whoever the powers may be) to be making some form of effort towards improving the country's situation in snowy / icy conditions. Then again, some would believe that global warming is a term coined by the government so that they can charge tax left, right and centre for any product which may produce even a slither of carbon dioxide.

If we concentrate on the macro perspective, we're in a situation where trucks are unable to get up and down the country, so transportation breaks down and indeed production breaks down. This means profits are reduced. However, if the conditions are just as bad all over the country, then consumers are also unable to leave their houses... suggesting there wouldn't be much point anyway. In a perfect society, what we need to do is ensure everyone is able to go about their daily routine in those conditions. Society isn't perfect though, and I highly doubt it will happen in our lifetime.

[MotorStefan95]

We should be a lot more prepared for this type of weather. Our schools and entire public transport system is shut downbecauseof a few inches of snow. Its actually veryembarrassingseeing as othercountriessuch as Russia have worse snow but they put on the snow tyres and its "businessas usual". It would be very annoying if you had a flight and it was cancelled because of 2 inches of snow.

It is good to get a few days of school but the government really need to deal with this because we can't put up with this every year.

[Mathew]

It is good to get a few days of school but the government really need to deal with this because we can't put up with this every year.

The strange thing is that it hasn't really happened every year. I remember getting snow like this when I was REALLY young... but then I seem to remember it being relatively mild up until a few years ago? It's inconsistent, so you never know whether splashing out on providing snow tyres for your company may prove to be a complete waste of money. It's a tough one.

[jasey]

I live in France and hearing about the deaths which have numbered in the hundreds across Europe and North Africa is a bit unnerving. I believe there was even one man in Paris who died because of the cold and I don't believe that is acceptable in such a wonderful country like my own. I absolutely think that Europe should step in gear and update their equipment and infrastructure to better handle cold weather. It is definitely an investment for the future and I think you'd be silly not to understand that. I look out the window now and no snow falls but that is not nearly enough to make me believe that the danger is over. The snow will come again and I want my fellow Europeans and fellow citizens of France to go through it with a certain sense of preparation.

[FlyingJesus]

Britain seems to somehow not realise that at some point over the winter it will get cold, despite the fact that it does in fact happen every year

[Inseriousity.]

Tbh, I reckon the newspapers should stop grinding to a halt and saying OH NO IT'S SNOW every time there's a bit of snow. These things happen and we should be prepared for it as much as possible but we can't predict everything and we can't be prepared for everything. We just try our best, grit our teeth and get on with things. Don't see why it needs to be front page news all the time.

[GommeInc]

We are prepared and we were prepared. To say we need to be more prepared is absurd. Snow is always going to be a nightmare. You cannot stop it setting and you cannot clear it as quickly as some people seem to make out. It's like saying Japan should be more prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis - it's going to cause damage and be disruptive, and no matter how hard you prepare there will be no way of ensuring there will be zero damage or fatalities. The fact it's virtually impossible to predict what will happen is another factor that should be considered.

It's always hilarious when people say we should be more prepared, when what they really should think is the fact snow is always going to be disruptive. It's a sod when it affects transport (cars, trains, buses and planes) but it's what you should expect from snow. The words "we should be more prepared" are chucked around too often when it comes to bad weather. It hints that the outcome of this "real" preparation is no disruption or damage, when it's impossible for it not to. Gritters and ploughs can only do so much - it's worldly accepted. No country in the world ever suffers from no disruptions, the ones where snow is common do one thing and one thing only - they shut up, don't care and get on with it.