Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 4 February 2020
But let’s start with the bad news. There really is a climate emergency. Evidence:
- The carbon and other greenhouses gases we are putting into the atmosphere means – precisely as the science predicts – that the planet is heating up. The 20 warmest years on record have been in the last 22 years. The past 4 years have been the warmest ever.
- Sea levels are rising: sea-ice is shrinking year on year and the world’s glaciers are retreating: both effects are putting more water into the oceans, and warming water expands – all of which is causing more sea level rise.
- Extreme weather events are becoming more common. We are seeing more and more violent floods, droughts, megafires and storms.
The risks are real
And the risks are real too. Unless we tackle the emergency, very bad things will happen.
There are six significant longer term climate-related risks for the UK. We face enhanced risks of: flooding and coastal erosion; to health, wellbeing and productivity; of water shortages for the public, agriculture, energy generation and industry; to natural capital; to food production; and of new and emerging pests and diseases.