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Storms may be caused by global warming
5 January 1998
The UK Climate Change Impacts Review Group, in a Government commissioned report, predicts that mean winter wind speeds in southern England could rise by 2050 by 7% over the average for 1961-90. The average annual cost of wind storms in the UK from 1960 to 1994 was £200 million. It is predicted that this will rise to an average of £400 million by 2050. Some estimates for the current storms have put the total bill at over £100 million. Sea levels could also rise in future, risking serious damage to coastal areas. Flooding may also be more frequent as rainfall levels increase.
Another modelling exercise suggests that gale frequencies over the UK could rise by up to 30% for a 1.6 degree Centrigrade rise in global temperature. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the scientific body that advises the UN on climate change issues -predicts an increase of between 1.5 and 4.5 degrees by 2100.
The UNEP Insurance Industry Initiative for the Environment (comprising 71 insurance companies) reports that the number of natural disasters has quadrupled over the decade from 1985 to 1995 compared to the 1960s, and warns that ' the cost of extreme weather events could escalate dramatically as a consequence of the increased greenhouse effect due to human activity'.
Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth Campaigns Director, said today:
“Global warming is likely to lead to more frequent severe weather events of the kind seen in the UK over the last few days. The economic and social costs could be massive. The faltering first steps to combat the problem taken at the Kyoto summit are not enough. The British Government must act now to meet its target for a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2010. And the world must follow. Otherwise the storms and flooding of the last few days - with the misery and damage they cause - may become a regular feature of all our lives.”
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
