Does anyone own a time machine?
Even if countries meet their climate change targets, this year’s blistering heatwave could become the average for summers to come.
New research by the Met Office Hadley Centre and commissioned by the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) has revealed that the average summer in central Europe by 2100 will be over 4C hotter than in pre-industrial eras.
“The science is clear that extreme weather currently faced across the world is at least in large part a consequence of human-induced climate change,” said Sir David King, chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group. “The data released by the Met Office today shows that, even if countries meet their commitments to reduce emissions they have made so far, the situation is still set to get worse, with weather in Europe predicted to become even more extreme than seen this summer.”
But it gets worse.
The new data does not account for what King described as the “instability of the Arctic” which could, in turn, add to our future troubles.
King has called for “ambitious, urgent action” and said now is the time to beat targets.
“It is only through the mitigative measures of Reduce, Remove and Repair, pursued with equal vigour and urgency, that we can hope to move away from the path to disaster we’re currently set on and achieve a manageable future for humanity,” he added.
King’s statements were echoed by Professor Peter Stott from the Met Office Hadley Centre, who said he predicted such temperature rises after the 2003 European heatwave, which claimed the lives of 70,000.
“That prediction has now been realised,” he said. “The risks of extreme weather, including fires, drought and flash floods, will keep increasing rapidly unless emissions of greenhouse gases are reduced substantially.”
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