Well, that was a depressing 45 minutes...
"In the long-term, we know these ocean island collapses occur. Around the world there may be one of these enormous events maybe once every 20,000 years, maybe only once every 50,000 years. We can't say when the collapse is going to occur. But the problem with the Cumbre Vieja is that it seems to already be close to failure. So, the crucial question is not a matter of if, but of when.
"We aren't prepared in the UK for a tsunami; no measures have been put in place to mitigate tsunamis. I think we need to learn from events like Japan that that really isn't the best policy.
"I think the question 'are you prepared for a tsunami' is almost the wrong question, because to an extent you can't prepare for them. As Japan very clearly illustrated.
"The Japanese were ready. They prepared themselves for the potential impact of a tsunami wave. Those defences were still... inadequate.
"The consequences were 15,000 dead and the costliest natural catastrophe in the history of our planet.
"Can we prevent the same thing that happened in Japan, happening in Britain or the US? No. Japan is probably one of the best-equipped countries in the world in defending itself against tsunamis. If they can't get it right, we can't. And it's not a question of them getting it wrong. It's a question of there's a limit to what we can do against the forces of nature."
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Just watched this programme about what effects a mega-tsunami caused by the collapse of island volcanoes could have. Not just the destruction caused by the waves, but on the global economy and Western civilisation.
I certainly ain't gonna look at the Canary Islands the same way again...