A drying Thames river basin in the UK would still face five times the current risk of flooding by 2080, a recent assessment of the effects of climate change has found. The Thames Vulnerability Assessment Report prepared by WWF-UK also found dire results for fish and wildlife, the lawns and flowerbeds of the traditional English garden and London’s antiquated sewers and drains.
A drying Thames river basin in the UK would still face five times the
current risk of flooding by 2080, a recent assessment of the effects of
climate change has found.
The Thames Vulnerability Assessment Report prepared by WWF-UK also found dire results for fish and wildlife, the lawns and flowerbeds of the traditional English garden and London’s antiquated sewers and drains.
The 14 million people in the internationally important basin – and the additional two million expected to join them by 2026 – also face a future of water shortages.
“Climate change is likely to result in hotter, drier summers and
warmer, wetter winters. Perversely, this means we will suffer from
having both more water, and less, with greater risk from flooding and
drought,†said WWF-UK freshwater policy advisor, Dr Tom Le Quesne.
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Combined threats
Peak rivers flows are predicted to increase by 20% leading to a significant rise in the frequency and severity of surface water flooding, with intense summer rains washing more sediment and pollution into the rivers.
Periods of reduced rainfall over successive years will also threaten the recharge of already over-stressed groundwater reserves.
Other impacts include markedly increased water and insurance costs.
“Taken separately, all the impacts are harmful but taken together they could ultimately destroy an internationally important river system. Policies must therefore be developed that can address droughts, floods, pollution and climate change simultaneously, rather than treating each in isolation,†said Le Quesne.
“Population growth will place further pressure on our already stressed water supplies. We now need to take action to reduce the amount of water each person wastes, lower leakage, and reduce pollution,†explained Le Quesne
WWF-UK Thames programme is supported by major bank HSBC through the global HSBC Climate Partnership, which is involved in similar vulnerability assessments for rivers such as the Yangtze, the Ganaa & the Pantanal.
Peter Bull, Head of HSBC in the Community, who have supported WWF-UK Thames programme, said “Increasing awareness and understanding of the issues which will face us all as a result of climate change is a vital objective of our partnership.â€
