This is the stark warning released on Wednesday by England’s Environment Agency, which said the entire country must change to cope with floods, droughts and other extreme weather events caused by climate change.
In its report, the Environmental Protection Agency warned of hotter, drier summers, increasingly serious flooding, rising sea levels and increased demand for hydroelectric resources because of global warming.
It projected that, even with average global temperatures rising by 2degrees Celsius – below forecast levels of warming – Britain’s winter precipitation will grow by 6% while the summer precipitation will decrease by 15% by 2.
The report also warned that London’s sea level is expected to increase by 23-29 cm by the 2050s and approximately 45 cm by the 2080s.
“significant climate impacts are inevitable”Emma Howard Boyd
Chairwoman Emma Howard Boyd said that “significant climate impacts are inevitable” were “inevitable” and that it was a case of “adjustment or death.”
Howard Boyd, the UK ‘We can successfully tackle the climate emergency if we do the right things, but we are running out of time to implement effective adaptation measures.
The council also said water firms needed to plan for water scarcity and more needs to be done to attract private resources to invest in flood defence schemes.
The UK is hosting next month’s Copenhagen climate summit in Glasgow and officials will underline the importance of ensuring communities are supported in addressing climate change adaptation.
