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Due to the impact of climate change, if global emissions do not decrease, snow in the southern part of the UK may become a thing of the past.
The UK is one of the pioneers in legislation to tackle climate change. Why does the UK attach great importance to this?
In 2008, the UK officially enacted the “Climate Change Act”, becoming the first country in the world to clarify medium- and long-term emission reduction targets legally.
Climate change is the most important problem facing humanity. It affects our plans for all sustainable development and a safe and prosperous world.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a warning in 2019 that global warming is making the ocean a huge potential threat to humans.
Although rising sea levels are not a recent threat to the UK, climate change is changing the climate and the environment in the British Isles.
As an island country, Britain is directly feeling the impact of climate change on the world.
Winter no more snow
Analysis by the British Met Office shows that due to the impact of climate change, winter snow in the south of England can become history.
This is one of a series of predictions about the changes of climate change in the UK, which he shared with the BBC’s Panorama program.
This shows that by 2040, most of southern England will no longer have freezing days in winter.
By 2060, only the northern highlands of the UK and northern Scotland are expected to continue to experience such cold weather.
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Analysis by the British Met Office shows that due to climate change affecting Great Britain, England will turn hot and humid in winter. You can’t see a snow scene like that anymore.
These forecasts are based on the current situation of accelerating growth in global emissions.
Dr. Lizzie Kenden, senior scientist in charge of climate prediction at the Met Office, said this may mean sledding, snowmen, and snowball fights become history later.
She told the “Panorama” program: By the end of this century, most of the snow will be completely gone, except on the highest ground in Scotland.
The Met Office said that if the world reduces emissions significantly, it won’t make such a significant change.
For the past 30 years, the coldest average temperature in the UK has been minus 4.3 degrees Celsius.
But if global emissions continue to accelerate, causing global temperatures to rise by 4 degrees Celsius, the average temperature in the UK will remain above 0 degrees Celsius throughout the winter.
Even if global emissions are substantially reduced and global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, the average coldest day in the UK can be 0 degrees Celsius.
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If global warming continues, summers in the UK will become hotter and drier. Summer heat waves can become more common and last longer.
The British Met Office said these predicted temperatures will fluctuate and some years may be colder than average. His predictions explored what could happen to the British weather.
Dr. Kenden said that in general, winter is hotter and humid, while summer is hotter and drier. He said that under this trend, there will be more frequent and more extreme weather, such as heavy rains.
The British Weather Service said the British have already seen a substantial change in the British weather.
Dr. Mark McCarthy of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Center noted that the magnitude and nature of climate change we are seeing is unprecedented.
He cautioned that since the Industrial Revolution, the average temperature in most of the UK has risen by 1 degree Celsius, and there may be more similar temperature rises.
1 degree Celsius may not sound very good to people, but even these small changes in the weather can have a huge impact on the climate and on many plants and animals.
Drier summer
The Met Office said winter and summer temperatures could increase significantly in the coming decades.
According to the report, the largest increase will occur in the warm southern part of the UK. At the same time, extreme weather is expected to become more frequent and intense.
Summer heat waves may become more common and last longer, continuing to set new record temperatures.
The Met Office said that not every summer will be hotter than the previous summer, but the long-term trend is steadily increasing, especially if emissions are not reduced.
This high emissions scenario shows that compared to 1981-2000, the maximum summer temperature in the UK may increase by 3.7 degrees Celsius to 6.8 degrees Celsius before 2070.
If the world manages to reduce emissions, the increase in temperature will be reduced considerably.
Flood risk
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The combination of a longer dry spell and sudden heavy rains can increase the risk of flooding in the UK.
Based on the level of detail in the model, it is speculated that the climate in all regions of the UK may change.
The Met Office predicts that the summer will not only be hotter but also drier. Summer rains can become less frequent, and once it rains, they can become more intense.
The combination of a longer dry period and sudden heavy rain can increase the risk of flooding in various parts of the UK, because dry soil cannot absorb rainwater quickly and areas that are otherwise wet cannot absorb incoming water.
The Met Office predicts that rainfall in many parts of the UK will also increase in winter.
Forecasts show that under high emissions conditions the western part of the UK can become more humid.
Of course, some years will always be wetter or colder than others, this trend will also fluctuate and there will be large regional differences.
Challenge the economic base
The impact of climate change on humanity is in all aspects. It poses an unprecedented challenge to the UK economic base.
This wet winter and the heavier downpours of the summer in most parts of the UK are likely to put further pressure on British infrastructure.
Roads, railways, reservoirs, sewers, bridges and other infrastructure are designed based on past rains, much of which may need to be improved or even rebuilt to cope with future storms and floods.
Additionally, a large number of industrial plans and facility standards for agriculture, industry and animal husbandry may have to be changed due to climate change.
The financial industry must also make the corresponding standard adjustments, such as some standards for the insurance business.
The response of the British government and people
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Britain’s new energy development plan will change the structure of energy supply, including vigorous development of green energy such as offshore wind. .
In early December 2020, the British government announced ambitious new targets to tackle climate change, which it called the “Green Revolution”.
The new goal set by the British government is to reduce Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 68% in 10 years based on 1990 levels.
Britain’s new energy development plan will change the energy supply structure and the corresponding socio-economic model. It includes the vigorous development of green energy, such as offshore wind power.
The clean energy revolution will also directly affect the homes and lifestyles of some Britons, changing people’s lifestyles from production to consumption, such as banning the sale of new cars and trucks that run on gasoline and diesel. in the country from 2030, etc. .
The British business community is also actively responding to the government’s call to tackle climate change. For example, the focus of the car manufacturing industry is completely transformed into green energy vehicles.
Another example is that Britain’s favorite beer and potato chip producers said that reforming traditional beer and potato chip production methods that are prone to carbon dioxide will greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70%.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes that the new targets set by the UK will serve as an example for other countries.
On December 12, 2020, the United Kingdom (host of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) will co-host the “Global Climate Ambition Summit” with the United Nations.
This meeting will be launched by video, inviting the governments of all countries to propose more ambitious climate change plans.
Affected by the epidemic, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference originally scheduled for November 2020 will be postponed to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 1 to 12, 2021.
