Climate Change paints a worrying picture for the UK’s coasts
Data collated by Climate Central, a non-profit news platform dedicated to climate change, illustrates just how different UK coastlines could look in 2050.
Their findings suggest that large parts of the country like Wales and Kent could actually be lower than sea level at the midpoint of the century. These theories are reiterated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and their latest report which was released publicly on August 8.
Kent beaches such as Folkestone, Dungeness, and Whitstable are just a few of those expected to be completely submerged by water by 2050. In north Wales, Llandudno, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Shotton and Queensferry are also vulnerable to flooding.
The risk of flooding is said to be three times higher than previously forecast, mainly due to a rise in global temperature. Rising temperatures not only make the oceans expand, but it also melts ice quicker than it could form. This domino effect means less light is reflected back into space, and also the melting ice contributes to rising sea levels.
In the North West the likes of Blackpool beach, Lytham St Annes, Formby, Crosby and Southport are areas currently in the red. Also, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Mablethorpe, Skegness and swathes of towns in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk are also areas considered to be at risk.
The IPCC’s report, released earlier this month, has announced that human factors are “unequivocally” the cause of rapid changes to sea levels, melting polar ice and glaciers, heatwaves, floods and droughts.
#ClimateChange is a global emergency—and it's affecting EVERYONE. The @IPCC_CH's latest #ClimateReport clearly showed us that.
Watch for a quick take from climate activists and experts. Spoiler alert: It's time to take #ClimateAction now and it's time to #SayItWithScience. pic.twitter.com/jhKgXpuCEb
— United Nations Foundation (@unfoundation) August 18, 2021
Predictions paint a worrying vision of the future, with coastal regions and islands submerged in water, the arctic completely ice-free, and wildfires continuing to run rampant as temperatures increase. With Carbon Dioxide levels at the highest, they have been in 2 million years, and sea levels at the highest levels they have been in 3000 years, the IPCC are calling for governments to act now.
Related links
- Brits urged to cut meat intake by 30% to save planet
- ‘We need to take action on climate change,’ says PM who flew from London to Cornwall
- Earth is just one degree away from “hothouse Earth” which threatens future of humanity
