Rich nations must plan for climate change impacts now
December 15, 2008
The Director of the UK Climate Impacts Programme, Chris West, has reiterated the warning to rich nations that they should be preparing for the impacts of climate change now.
The gist of Mr West's message is that some of the effects of climate change are going to be unavoidable and, indeed, are already apparent. Consequently, we should be making provision to cope with effects, such as summer heatwaves, malaria-carrying mosquitoes at Heathrow and the need to switch to melt-resistant tarmac for roads.
Last year, the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included a breakdown of the impacts of climate change in various regions of the world. Although it is expected that the effects will be felt most severely in developing countries, the developed world will also be affected. Europe, for example, is advised to prepare for warmer, wetter winters in the north and hotter, drier summers in the south.
One of the obvious effects of the latter scenario will be an increased demand on water resources, while in other areas, flash floods are likely to increase. People will also suffer directly: 2000 fatalities were attributed to the summer heatwave in the UK in 2003 and millions of people will be affected by the increased risk of coastal flooding associated with rising sea levels.
Whilst it may be difficult to visualise regular heatwaves and droughts in the UK following two wet and relatively cool summers, and a colder winter, the advice to be prepared for any eventuality nevertheless holds good.
Print this page