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'Water, water everywhere, nor any drop
to drink . . .'
Professor Michael Hamlin CBE, FRAEng spoke to the Science and
Technology Group at its
June 2006 meeting. Professor Hamlin has been an independent water engineering consultant and has acted as an expert panel member on dam projects in Africa.
He explained that the circulation of water in the
atmosphere is controlled by solar energy drawing water up and then
letting it fall as rain. If and if all this were precipitated simultaneously it would give about 25 mm.
However, most of his talk was concerned with the difficulties of
supplying this water to different communities at different times and
places, from the Euphrates valley in 4500 BC and still today (in
Turkey) and in Africa, to Ceylon and Britain today. [MORE]
Professor Hamlin's talk was followed up
by a seminar in September at Maidenhead, opened by Theresa May, MP with
speakers from
Thames
Water, the Environment Agency, South East Water, and International
WaterAid
The Science and Technology Group is also interested in
* Genetics, biotechnology and nano-technology
and their control
* The public understanding and appreciation of
science, engineering and technology
* Environment, global warming, biodiversity and
sustainability
[MORE
ON THE WORK OF THE SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
GROUP]
The Transport Group
is at present working with NCW branches,
affiliated societies, and
individual members to find out how they can influence decisions on local
transport issues
[MORE] |
Land use versus food security
A Seminar organised
jointly by the National Council of Women and the Women's Food and Farming Union,
held at the Parliamentary Offices, Portcullis House, Westminster on 13 July
2006
The issues
of land use and food security is topical, important and worthy of
exploration. There has been much media coverage on the future of our landscape,
the use we make of our farming land and to the question-does being
self-sufficient in food matter? We are in a period of change looking to a future
when farmers will be paid for protecting the environment rather than food
production. The speakers at the seminar, Baroness Byford, Henry Fells,
Sir Donald Currie, and Sir Stuart Hampson,
gave us their views of the
situation from different perspectives.
[MORE]
Portcullis House
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