The threat to Britain posed by floods, heat waves and coastal erosion is far more serious than previously thought, according to a group of experts appointed by the Government.

Their report, to be published today, is expected to be the bleakest official assessment yet of the impact of climate change in Britain over the rest of this century.

It will say that the estimated number of homes at risk of flooding is likely to double to about 800,000 within 25 years because of rising sea levels. Average summer temperatures in the South of England will rise by 2C by the 2040s and up to 6.4C by 2080, it will warn, increasing the risk of skin cancers and insect-borne diseases. (more…)

Roads are rarely called beautiful yet few would argue with that word for the A379 at Slapton Sands in Devon. It runs for miles along an elevated shingle bank with the English Channel on one side and a vast, tranquil freshwater lake on the other.

But the road is threatened by a combination of spring tides and easterly winds, which may mean the road will be swept away in the near future – and with it would go a lifeline for local residents and businesses.

“It would turn us into a dead end. No one would come here because it would be too isolated. We’d close down, everyone would close down,” warns Sally Pound, who runs the general store and Post Office at Torcross, the community closest to the road.

The road was breached by a storm in 2001. It closed for three months until a £1.2m repair realigned the tarmac 20 yards inland. If it is breached again it may be ”given to the sea” in line with official conservation policy but against the wishes of local people.

What was an eight-mile scenic run between Dartmouth and Kingsbridge will then become a 21-mile inland diversion along narrow lanes, many carrying buses and coaches in summer. Pretty villages such as Torcross and Strete will become more isolated and homes may fall in value as a consequence.

Read the full story by Graham Norwood on the Telegraph website

A conference is being held at the John Innes Centre, Norwich on 16th May 2009 discussing climate change in East Anglia.

Organised jointly by WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) and the University of East Anglia (UEA), speakers will include:

• Prof. Tim O’Riordan (UEA) discussing “Changing climate; changing coast?”
• Prof. A Davey (UEA) on “Managed coastal realignment; can we seize the conservation opportunities?”
• Steve Hayman (Environment Agency)  on “What’s the future for our coast?”
• Malcolm Kerby (Happisburgh CCAG) on “People, property and coast Management”
• Panel discussion chaired by Dr. Ian Gibson MP

To book a place, fill in and return the booking form – there is no charge for attendance; lunch can be provided for £10. People with lunch bookings get preferential entry if the event is booked out.

The Norfolk Broads face severe damage from climate change unless more is done to help habitats recover, a report by Natural England said.

The study into the future of the Broads recommends new wetlands are created and species given more support before sea levels rise further.

The report authors found climate change will lead to the Broads becoming salty.

They said coastal defences will come under more pressure, while wetlands face harm from floods and drought. (more…)

From the Natural England website:

In the Norfolk Broads report, Natural England confirms its support for the current policy to maintain the current line of defence on the Eccles-Winterton stretch of coast, for at least 50 years, re-iterating that it is an adviser on flood risk policy and not the final decision-maker.

Summary report: Responding to the impacts of climate change on the natural environment: The Broads – a summary

As fears grow of a metre sea level rise by the end of the century, the Environment Agency has told Sky News Online it is impossible to defend all of Britain’s coastline.

Many places along the UK’s East Coast will become particularly vulnerable to flooding. (more…)

THERE’S a clue in the name Langport; the town did indeed once have a port, even though it is situated more than a dozen miles from the sea – and could be renewing its maritime links in the not too distant future if climate change experts meeting in Copenhagen last week are right.

Scientists now believe that global warming will have far more profound consequences on sea levels than had previously been estimated – they are predicting that the planet’s oceans will rise by more than a metre by the end of this century, rather than the half-metre increase they had been working on.

Not only will this have an acute significance for individual communities located at present-day sea levels, but entire areas of the South West peninsula will be in the firing line when it comes to widespread coastal flooding. (more…)

Large areas of the Norfolk Broads are likely to disappear by 2100, according to scientists.

The stark warning will be issued at an international climate change conference this week when experts will outline their latest findings on rising sea levels and global warming.

Over the three-day event in Copenhagen, which starts tomorrow , scientists will reveal how they have now realised that sea levels pose a far bigger eco threat than previously though and will sound an alarm over new floodings – enough to swamp the Norfolk Broads. (more…)

Scientists will warn this week that rising sea levels, triggered by global warming, pose a far greater danger to the planet than previously estimated. There is now a major risk that many coastal areas around the world will be inundated by the end of the century because Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting faster than previously estimated.

Low-lying areas including Bangladesh, Florida, the Maldives and the Netherlands face catastrophic flooding, while, in Britain, large areas of the Norfolk Broads and the Thames estuary are likely to disappear by 2100. In addition, cities including London, Hull and Portsmouth will need new flood defences. (more…)

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ latest environment theme report is Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable? It considers the possible climate changes which we may expect over the next 1,000 years due to continuing CO2  emissions, and recommends what engineers need to do to adapt to our future world so that we can cope with these changes.

Man’s activities are causing the world’s climate to change rapidly.  Although many nations will be able to cope with the impacts of climate change in the short term, albeit at a cost, long term, it will be a very different story.  Global governments will be meeting in November 2009 to agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, proposing reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by mitigation.

However, as global emissions are not reducing and the climate is changing, the more pragmatic approach, as suggested by the Institution, is that only by adapting our behaviour can we hope to secure long-term human survival.  We have to look at how engineers might help our world to adapt to changes over the next few centuries. (more…)