The most comprehensive research yet into the UK's climate has forecast many more outbreaks of freak weather, with temperatures set to soar by up to 6C by the 2080s.
Flash floods and storms like those experienced last week across Suffolk will become “the norm” in the years ahead, it was warned last night as a bleak report predicted future climate change will affect “every aspect of our daily lives”.
The UK Climate Projections 09 study, launched last week in London, warned that summer rain could decrease by 6% in the East of England by 2020, increasing the already significant risk of drought, with the drop in summer rainfall in East Anglia potentially reducing yields of agricultural crops. By 2080 the sea level at Southwold could rise by 37cm, which would make significant coastal flooding more likely and increase erosion rates along Suffolk’s coast.
The research outlines scenariosbased on what is most likely to happen to the country up to the end of the century, under three different levels of global greenhouse gas emissions - high, medium and low. The medium emissions scenario, which the world is currently closest to, would lead to various parts of the UK facing temperature rises of between 2C and 6C, significant falls and rises in rainfall and sea level rises. Temperatures could be even higher under the high emissions scenario.
Because emissions stay in the atmosphere for many years, the next three decades of climate change are already set. Climate change is going to transform the way we live. These projections show us both the future we need to avoid and the future we need to plan for.
In Suffolk we are well placed to respond. Suffolk’s Creating the Greenest County initiative is already seen as an exemplar in tackling climate change across the country. This autumn will see the third Creating the Greenest County Conference, “Act on Climate Change, Adapt to our Future” being held on 2nd October at Trinity Park. The purpose of this conference will be to understand the current risks and opportunities associated with climate change faced by businesses and communities and for us all to jointly develop actions to mitigate them.”
For further details of the new UKCIP 09 climate projections please see Defra, UK - UK Climate Projections
