Flood risk projections produced for the government and published in October this year conclude that annual damages caused by flooding in the UK will rise by 50% if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees centigrade - even assuming continued investment in flood defences. 

Flooding damages could rise by 150% if global temperatures increase by as much as 4 degrees.(1) The government’s advisors, the independent Committee on Climate Change, advise this would mean an extra 1 million homes at risk from flooding.(2)

If the international commitments made at the Paris Summit earlier this month are not increased further, it is expected that global temperature rises are likely to increase by almost 3 degrees centigrade meaning that the UK should be preparing for significantly worse flooding.(3)

Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

“The government’s ‘cut now, crisis later’ approach to flooding has to end. Increasing spending on flood defences will be crucial, but these horrifying floods also underline why climate change must be a national security priority. Ministers must urgently update Britain’s climate resilience plan to keep people safe from the worsening risks we face from extreme weather.”(4)

Lord Krebs, one of the government’s own chief advisors on flooding risks, told MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee earlier this year that he would give Ministers just 2 or 3 out of 10 for their record on building resilience to climate change impacts in Britain.(5) 

Referring to the National Climate Adaptation Programme - the government’s strategy for responding to increasing risks from flooding due to climate change - Krebs’ committee said it “does not amount to a coherent programme.”(6)

Earlier this month it emerged the government had issued flood risk advice to planners based on figures 9 years out of date.(7) 

5 of the 6 wettest years on record have occurred since the year 2000, according to the Met Office.(8)

Notes:

(1) https://d2kjx2p8nxa8ft.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/CCRA-Future-Flooding-Main-Report-Final-06Oct2015.pdf.pdf

(2) https://www.theccc.org.uk/2015/12/07/uk-floods-climate-change-likely-to-increase-frequency-and-magnitude-of-severe-flooding-events/

(3) http://climateactiontracker.org/news/253/Climate-pledges-will-bring-2.7C-of-warming-potential-for-more-action.html

(4) The government announced a new National Flood Resilience Review on December 13th that will be chaired by Oliver Letwin: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-country-more-flood-resilient

(5) http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2015/Record-UK-temps-2014

(6) http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/climate-change-adaption/?type=Oral#pnlPublicationFilter and https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/6.736_CCC_ASC_Adaptation-Progress-Report_2015_FINAL_WEB_070715_RFS.pdf 

(7) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4636031.ece

(8) http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2015/Record-UK-temps-2014