Global provider of cloud-hosted location intelligence systems and services, Gamma has predicted that 1 in 10 houses in the country, that’s 3,066,318, will be at a greater flood risk if Downing Street’s new energy efficiency targets are not met.
Gamma’s flood risk map shows where homes will get flooded, which will become a reality if the UK does not reach its climate goals to cut carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050.
The predictions show that Great Yarmouth and Portsmouth will be among the worst-affected locations.
Even ahead of 2050, climate change could leave homes unsellable if water levels do begin to rise over the next 30 years and if the world does not get the climate changes under control.
The world’s leaders are to meet in Glasgow to address the issues and go through the complex process of agreeing their climate change action promises. It will be the central theme next week at COP26.
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s plans for the UK, to cut its carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, with the aim of keeping global temperature increases to 1.5°C. Many people are sceptical about his ability to get agreement among the many heads of government attending the conference, to all agree a similar target, let alone getting them to take positive action.
Targets set five years ago at the Paris conference have still not been met by several excessively polluting countries, which have come in for severe criticism.
Even inland locations will be hit by severe flooding
Viewing the maps produced by Gamma, they show that even parts of the country that are far from the sea are in real danger of increased flooding.
If climate change continues at its current trajectory, with heavier rain storms and rising sea levels, more frequent flooding will not only endanger people’s lives but also make houses unsellable and cause severe disruption for families and businesses.
For example, up to one-third of all homes and commercial buildings in Great Yarmouth will very likely be at severe flood risk in less than 30 years’ time.
The same goes for houses in Portsmouth, some of which are already at risk of flooding. The number is set to quadruple within 30 years meaning around 20 per cent of homes will be affected.
Central London is not exempt: Kensington and Chelsea have around 14,000 homes appearing on the Gamma map as in flooding danger.
With climate change will come other risks to Britain’s properties. Hotter, drier summers will cause soil and clay to dry out unevenly, bringing cracks in building structures. It is predicted that up to around 8 per cent of buildings in Swindon could be at risk of subsidence, up from the current at-risk homes of just 1 per cent.
A high price to pay
Global warming and its counter measures will come with a heavy price tag for Britain. The current estimate by the Treasury is around £1trillion over the next thirty years, something that 10 and 11 Downing Street are having to factor into their green plan.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on a Times Radio interview:
“If we look at the green agenda, the transition broadly, we’ll know that the cost of inaction actually could be greater than actually doing things, he said.
What is COP26?
It’s the 2021 United Nations climate change conference. For nearly three decades now the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits, called COPs, which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that time, over the thirty years, climate change has gone from being a fringe issue, which many preferred to ignore, to a global priority.
This year will be the 26th annual summit with the UK holding the Presidency, and the UK Government organising and chairing the event taking place in Glasgow.
In the run up to the conference the UK Government has been working with every nation to try to encourage involvement and to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change. World leaders will be arriving in Scotland this week, alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for the twelve days of talks.
Not only is this a huge task, to bring all this together, but most experts believe COP26 now has a unique urgency for the planet.
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