Climate change: what's in store where you live?
London and the Thames Basin:
London’s Victorian sewerage system is easily overloaded during storms: properties can be flooded and large amounts of raw sewage released into the tidal section of the River Thames. The ecological consequences can be severe: in August 2004, heavy rainfall led to appalling pollution events that killed tens of thousands of fish, left sewage debris and a foul smell along the foreshore, and significantly increased E. coli levels in the river.
The Thames basin region is densely populated and heavily urbanised, dominated by Greater London. It has some of the lowest rainfall in the UK, with an average of just 690mm per year. Scant water resources are already overstretched, with 70% of the population dependent on groundwater sources.
The area is currently protected from rising sea levels by the Thames Barrier and is expected to be able to cope with maximum sea level rises up to 2030, but not necessarily with winter storm surges. Average temperatures in the region are likely to see some of the highest increases, rising by as much as 6°C by 2080. Summer rainfall is expected to fall by between 15% and 60% by 2080, with winter rain levels increasing by up to 30%.
Find out what's in store elsewhere in the UK:
