UK Climate Projections now available

A major government climate change report launched today, giving specific details of how climate change will affect the UK. For the first time, you can get specific projections for your own postcode, with estimates for temperature, precipitation, or sea level rise. Each variable has been calulated with low, medium and high emissions scenarios.

The data is all accessible in a variety of formats, on paper, online, or through an interactive interface that allows you to generate your own predictions. Want to know how much rain will fall in Luton in the summer of 2021? How cold the coldest day is likely to be on the Isle of Wight in 2035? It’s all available in a sophisticated interactive website, and you can output your own datasets and graphs – all very useful tools for local campaigners.

In a summary of the findings, the summer temperatures are predicted to rise between 2 and 6 degrees by 2080. Summers will be drier, and winters wetter. The South of England, which is already water stressed, may see a 22% decrease in summer rainfall. Peak temperatures in London could exceed 40 degrees.

“This landmark scientific evidence shows not only that we need to tackle the causes of climate change but also that we must deal with the consequences” said Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today. ‘The Projections will allow us to make sure we have a resilient infrastructure to cope – whether it’s the design of school buildings or protection of new power plants, maintaining the supply of drinking water, adjusting ways of farming for drier summers or understanding how our homes and businesses will have to adapt.’

• Visit the UK Climate Projections website here.