Belgium — Pierre Ozer has been expecting these floods for decades That’s how long climate scientists like him have been warning that devastating floods — like the ones that have killed more than 100 people with many still unaccounted for in Germany and Belgium — would hit Europe more often as the world warms.  one of Belgium’s leading climatologists from the University of Liège But nothing really happens … We just wait.” The floods ripped through this part of Belgium and large parts of western Germany the Netherlands and Luxembourg on Thursday.  Ozer was chain-smoking on a park bench in Angleur — a low-lying riverbank district in his home city of Liège Just 24 hours earlier the bench had been deep underwater; a few meters away “How many people dying are we going to accept?” Ozer said Ozer calculated in his head how often such a flood might have happened before humans heated the climate by more than a degree The River Meuse was flowing through Liège at the fastest rate ever recorded Rainfall records have been smashed across the region which is unusual because the rivers aren’t swelled by melting snow.  It’s “maybe once every 1,000 years,” he said. The question he said he cannot answer was how many times an event this extreme will recur between now and the end of the century, now that climate change is changing the way storms behave It could be “like five or six times,” he said “This is a brand new disaster” for the region over such a vast area of northwestern Europe Scientists were tracking the storm as it headed southwards throughout this week and the European Flood Awareness System issued alerts of life-threatening floods to national authorities early in the week But people were either told to evacuate too late acting mayor Christine Defraigne called for an evacuation after the streets of Angleur were already underwater POLITICO spoke to five people as they worked to clear their streets all of whom said they had been taken by surprise by the storm “It came at such a speed — we didn’t see it coming,” said John He couldn’t reach his shop when the flood started; after a day of cleaning “We had to watch our store disappear from afar,” he said Ozer was helping his colleague Guénaël Devillet who runs the geography department at the University of Liège empty the ground floor of his home of water and flotsam The buildings have a six-foot-high dark strip running along their walls It picked up cars and tossed them down the street like bath toys — nearby a red SEAT has its back wheel embedded in the windscreen of a Citroën his family decided to save some of their belongings from the water but within half an hour the water had risen further — and soon he said: “There were warnings to evacuate the city but that was three hours after — over here At least 18 people have died in Belgium, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Friday. On Saturday, local police told media that two bodies had been found in Angleur Eleven-year-old Inaya was trapped alone with her sister for seven hours on Wednesday after their parents went out and then could not return to them because their street had turned into a river The pair sheltered on the top floor while the water ran through downstairs.  “I didn’t know if I was going to die,” she said Ozer advises governments around the world — particularly in West Africa but also in Belgium — on flood risk management He described what he has seen in the past few days as what he would expect in a country with extremely limited communication networks The fact that people discovered the severity of the flood by watching it rise on their street is “crazy,” he said who lives in a different part of Liège but whose basement was also flooded said he had checked the local flood warning website on Tuesday night and was stunned to see that no warning had been issued.  Almost all the water of the summer falls in 36 hours,” he said “You are a governor of a city or something like that You check the website: Everything is under control.” Liège narrowly escaped an even bigger catastrophe as the River Meuse reached a critical point near the city center before dropping overnight on Thursday "For a few centimeters all the city of Liège would have been flooded," said Ozer He said he would be conducting a full investigation to discover what had gone wrong in the Wallonia region But he also said the inquiry should extend to regions in Germany where the death toll was even higher something went wrong in all the other regions as well,” he said.  But instead of building to be ready for the next flood Ozer said a local minister had told him on Friday that all of Wallonia’s money that had been set aside for improvements to adapt to climate change would now be spent on repairs “It's a question of governance,” Ozer said This article is part of POLITICO’s premium policy service: Pro Energy and Climate. From climate change, emissions targets, alternative fuels and more, our specialized journalists keep you on top of the topics driving the Energy and Climate policy agenda. Email [email protected] for a complimentary trial.  The U.S. argument against the green transition felt “quiet and out of place,” said one official. U.S. and European officials are sparring in meetings of the International Energy Agency, which helps guide global investments and policies. The U.S. has used the U.K.-hosted energy summit to boost fossil fuels over the transition to net zero. Acting Assistant Secretary Tommy Joyce also took aim at Joe Biden’s climate legacy. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Residents wade through flood water on a flooded street in Angleur near Liege 2022 at 12:00 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases caused by human activities are directly responsible for long-term dry conditions in the Mediterranean basin and the increasing rainfall over the rest of Europe during winter according to a study by the UK’s Met Office The research, published in Journal of Climate, is the first to show the direct link between seasonal rainfall trends in Europe and climate change Scientists compared climate scenarios with and without human influence Private equity firm OpenGate Capital has acquired Umicore Zinc Chemicals for an undisclosed sum The leading global producer of specialty zinc chemicals has been renamed as EverZinc with immediate effect EverZinc has revenues of above €400 million and employs more than 500 people worldwide The group specializes in three product areas – fine zinc powders zinc oxide and zinc for batteries –  with operations in Belgium managing partner and CEO of OpenGate Capital said EverZinc is another example of the equity firm carrying out its strategy to build new value in businesses with untapped potential He commented: “With EverZinc’s global footprint diverse industry applications and long-standing customer base this is an exciting investment at a great time in a global market.” EverZinc represents OpenGate’s fifth acquisition this year, following those of Power Partners, Energi Fenestration Solutions, Bois & Materiaux and Alfatherm. Last month, OpenGate became the major shareholder in Kem One Innovative Vinyls, in which it now holds a 70% stake. The company, which holds the former vinyls activities of French group Arkema OpenGate said it will support IVY Group’s objective to increase its presence in growing market segments where innovation is needed specific technical assistance and new logistics needs IVY Group is focused on technical blends around PVC and thermoplastic elastomers through its Nakan division PVC profiles through Alphacan and piping systems through Omniplast Group sales are roughly €350 million annually ProteiNext is an annual symposium that offers a platform for sharing insights on protein analysis CHEManager Innovation Pitch supports innovation in the chemistry and life sciences start-up scene and start-ups to present their companies to the industry floodwaters swept through an assisted living centre Rescue workers across Germany and Belgium rushed Friday to prevent more deaths from some of the continent’s worst flooding in years as the number of dead surpassed 125 and the search went on for hundreds of missing people the floodwaters also left thousands of Germans homeless after their dwellings were destroyed or deemed to be at risk and elected officials began to worry about the lingering economic effects from lost homes and businesses dikes on swollen rivers were at risk of collapsing and crews raced to reinforce flood barriers Sixty-three people perished in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate including 12 residents of an assisted living facility for disabled people in the town of Sinzig who were surprised by a sudden rush of water from the nearby Ahr River German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “stunned” by the devastation and pledged support to the families of those killed and to cities and towns facing significant damage our country stands together,” Steinmeier said in a televised statement “It’s important that we show solidarity for those from whom the flood has taken everything.” waters were receding across much of the affected regions but officials feared that more bodies might be found in cars and trucks that were swept away A harrowing rescue effort unfolded in the German town of Erftstadt where people were trapped when the ground gave way and their homes collapsed View the discussion thread.