Climate change: England must 'adapt or die,' agency warns
LONDON : England will be hit hard by floods like those that
devastated Germany this summer if the country does not improve its defense
against more extreme weather brought by climate change, a governmental agency
said Wednesday.
In a report, the Environment Agency warned of hotter, drier
summers, more and worse flooding, rising sea levels and greater demand on water
supplies due to global warming.
It predicted that even with a rise of 2 degrees Celsius in
global average temperature -- below the level of warming that has been
projected. England’s winter rainfall will increase 6%, but summer rainfall will
be down 15% by the 2050s.
The report also warned that London’s sea level is expected
to rise by between 23 centimeters and 29 centimeters (9 to 11 inches) by the
2050s, and around 45 centimeters by the 2080s.
Emma Howard Boyd, the agency’s chair, said that “significant
climate impacts are inevitable” and it is a case of “adapt or die.”
“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,” she said.
“Adaptation action needs to be integral to government,
businesses and communities too and people will soon question why it isn’t especially when it is much cheaper to invest
early in climate resilience than to live with the costs of inaction," she
added.
The U.K. is hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next
month, and officials are set to highlight the importance of helping communities
adapt to climate change. But Howard Boyd said the issue is still in danger of
being neglected.
The warnings come in the Environment Agency’s third
adaptation report, which was submitted to the government under the Climate
Change Act.
Source abcnews
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