Twenty years ago politicians who spoke about climate change talked about their duty to solve the problem for the sake of our grandchildren. With too little action since, Europe’s previously benign weather is getting less predictable and more dangerous. Europeans expecting to live another 30 years will see life get a lot more uncomfortable as a result. On current projections the global temperature will have risen to about 2C over pre-industrial levels by about 2050. The latest research from the European Commission predicts that unchecked carbon emissions will cause an extra 132,000 heat fatalities a year, a loss in food production, water shortages and droughts, particularly in southern Europe.
For the UK the warnings are about serious coastal flooding, with a five-fold increase in damage. Heavier rain will cause three times as many people to be affected by river flooding. Apart from the obvious disruption caused by floods, fires and other extreme events the economic consequences are also severe, with a 10 to 15% loss in productivity as it is impossible to work in extreme heat. The scientists say their predictions are probably underestimates and that politicians seem unprepared for the consequences. At this rate our current politicians’ grandchildren will be lucky to survive to old age.
