Evidence shows that our climate is already changing. Some changes are now inevitable and more extreme changes will become unavoidable unless we drastically reduce our carbon emissions. Climate projections show that London will experience warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers.
Along with the gradual change in overall climate, we expect to see more frequent and intense episodes of extreme weather, meaning that we will need to consider adapting our buildings, communities and lifestyles to prepare for more frequent:
Improving our ability to cope with the consequences of climate change is known as “adaptation.” This includes actions such as installing green space to soak up surface water from intense rain, shading our buildings so they remain cool during the summer, and reducing our water use to prevent drought.
Adapting to climate change is a process. It needs to be built into our normal planning, decision-making, and risk management procedures, whether in business, government or service design.
Considering adaptation alongside carbon reduction (“mitigation”) is necessary to make sure that mitigation measures don’t make us less resilient to future climate and we avoid making costly mistakes. An integrated approach to climate change ensures that sustainable adaptation decisions can be made at the right time to maximise the benefits and minimise costs to services and people. Proactive adaptation is much cheaper than retrospective actions and disaster recovery.
We must ensure we are ready for our changing climate today and tomorrow.
Extreme weather isn’t just a problem for the future: it’s something that affects us already. If we look back over the last 18 years we can see extreme weather incidents have affected us almost every year. In fact, considering the frequency of extreme weather events, what has previously been considered “extreme” may now be the new normal.
| 2000 – flooding
2001 – flooding 2003 – heatwave 2005 – flooding 2006 – drought 2006 – heatwave 2007 – flooding 2008 – flooding 2008 – snow and ice 2009 – snow and ice 2009 – flooding 2010 – flooding 2010 – snow and ice |
2011 – warm spring
2011 – warm autumn 2012 – drought 2012 – wet summer 2013 – snow and ice 2013 – heatwave 2014 – flooding 2015 – flooding 2015 – heatwave 2016 – heatwave 2017 – heatwave 2018 – snow and ice 2018 – heatwave |
The impacts of extreme weather events are far-reaching, and they are felt particularly acutely in multicultural cities such as London, where many residents come from other parts of the world. LCCP recognises that global extreme weather events can impact on the wellbeing of Londoners and their families in a number of ways.
Extreme weather events and changes in climate around the world also have an impact on London’s financial wellbeing through impacts to supply chains and stock prices.
Recent examples include:
To see how the climate is changing on a global scale, you can visit the Met Office website.