31
Jul 2008 - 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.
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.”
