Archived press release

Weather Warning - Climate Change is Happening

17 August 2004

Friends of the Earth issued a weather warning today as heavy rain caused flooding in the south west of England and thundery rain threatened the rest of the country. This summer's unpredictable conditions could be a warning of things to come as the UK's climate becomes more unstable as a result of climate change, the environmental campaign organisation said.

While the heavy rain that hit Boscastle in Cornwall with such devastating effect is an unusual event, with impacts unseen in the area since the Lynmouth floods of 1952, the frequency of other flooding events is likely to increase according to global warming models.

Scientists have predicted climate change will trigger more so-called extreme weather events globally and in the UK, leading to more hot days, heat waves, heavy rain and storms [1]. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states: "Models project that increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases result in changes in frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme events, such as more hot days, heat waves, heavy precipitation events, and fewer cold days." Summers are expected to generally become hotter and drier, but storms could possibly become more severe in future [2].

Friends of the Earth Executive Director Tony Juniper said:

"These freak storms are unusual events, but there are real concerns that such events could become more frequent as we feel the effects of climate change. Globally, thousands of people have already died from the impacts of climate change and many more are at risk as deserts spread and water sources dry up. We must face up to the harsh reality of what we are doing to our planet and act now to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Governments must lead the way, but individuals can also do their bit by saving energy and reducing their dependence on the car."

Climate change impacts for the UK suggest that low level areas will be at risk from higher sea levels especially in the south east, with homes and business in river valleys vulnerable to increasingly common flash floods. Changes in climate are likely to affect Britain's wildlife - as already seen in the changes to breeding patterns of sea birds this year [3].

Temperature records for central England show that temperatures increased by 0.7C in the UK since 1659. Of that, a rise of 0.5C occurred in the 20th century. In England, the warmest January to September period since records began was recorded in 2003 [4].

Globally, average temperatures have increased by 0.6C since 1860. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change projects that global temperatures could rise by between 1.4 and 5.8C by the end of this century.

In Africa, rising sea levels will cause large problems for coastal settlements, particularly in West African countries, while increases in droughts, floods and other extreme weather events will add to the current stress on water resources, food production and human health.

In Asia, tens of millions of people will be displaced as sea levels rise, with forest fires, flooding and droughts could become more frequent [5].

According to the UK Climate Impacts Programme, experiments run on global climate models show us that when we reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, we reduce the rate of rise of average global temperatures and so lessen the rate and impacts of climate change.

Friends of the Earth has launched a climate challenge to encourage individuals to do more to tackle carbon dioxide emissions in their daily life. For more information and tips on saving energy see climate challenge.

Notes

[1] Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Group I, II and III to the Third

Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2001. See Section 4.12. www.ipcc.ch/pub/un/syreng/spm.pdf (PDF format)

[2] www.ukcip.org.uk/scenarios/

[3] www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
uk_seabirds_suffer_impacts_30072004.html

[4] www.met-office.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/pubs/brochures/2003/global.pdf (PDF† format)

[5] www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/impacts_of_climate_change.pdf (PDF† format)

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust