Experts warned yesterday that heatwaves that could claim the lives of thousands of people will occur in Britain every other year.
Climate change will mean that within 30 years, scorching summers where temperatures exceed 100F will become routine, increasing the mortality rate, causing crime to rise and the economy to falter.
The warnings came as the Met Office launched a radical new forecasting system utilising the power of the oceans.
In a grim outlook, experts said that businesses would have to adapt swiftly to climate change or go to the wall.
Traders were told that they needed to be aware of the risk that extreme weather could bring to their dealings and change their image.
Consumers were now on the “tipping point” of viewing non-green businesses in the same way as clothing companies accused of using child labour.
Dr Matt Huddlestone, principal climate change consultant at the Met Office, warned that even the worst case scenario – that temperatures would rise by four degees Centigrade by 2100 – might be underestimating the problem.
“We have seen increases in sea levels that are more than we expected and sea ice is diminishing much quicker than our climate models predicted,” he said. “This summer the North-West Passage in the Arctic opened. We had a hot summer in 2003 with the highest temperature ever recorded here of 38.5C (101.3F).
“We thought this was a one in a thousand year event but it happened again in 2006. By now we probably think it is a one in 250 year event and by 2040 it is likely to be a one in two year event.”
Dr Huddlestone warned the heatwaves were likely to have a severe impact on Britons, adding: “It starts to be a little bit uncomfortable at 38.5C.
“In London the mortality rate for elderly people doubled and across Europe that year there were 30,000 deaths. During Hurricane Katrina, 1,300 lives were lost.
“Warmer summers mean diseases could spread to Britain. We have Bluetongue which was not here a year ago and if that can get here then so can others, though malaria is unlikely.”
Dr Huddlestone said levels of crime also soar during hot spells. “People get fractious and if they are fractious they get violent and crime goes up. You can predict crime levels using temperature,” he said.
He warned companies to take into account the effects of climate change now or risk being sued like tobacco firms who ignored cancer risks.
Daily Express - 2nd November 2007
Now when reputedly "stuffy" and cautious organisations like the Met Office start to get this excited about something, you know there is a real problem.
Businesses must adapt or die.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment