A leading expert has warned that Britain’s storms are becoming “more destructive” and more frequent – and will continue to do so in the future.
John Griffiths, climatologist at environmental solutions firm KISTERS told Express.co.uk that the UK is also “particularly vulnerable to flooding” – while also explaining why average people should really care about the range of deadly consequences they both bring and how underprepared the UK is.
Mr Griffiths shut down the common accusation that the UK has always had bad storms and that things are no different today.
He said: “It is true that the UK has a long history of notable storms, such as the one in 1987. Memory can, however, be selective and sometimes romanticise the past, underestimating the severity of current events.”
Griffiths added that storms are becoming both “more frequent and intense” as a result of man-made climate change, and that we should all be paying attention.
He added: “The average person should care because these storms are not just a trivial inconvenience. They are becoming more destructive, posing risks to lives, property, and the broader economy.”
The scientist stated that the UK will see “more extreme weather events due to increased energy in the atmosphere” – although stressed this was a global phenomenon and would impact international supply chains on top of the direct human losses.
Just a few weeks ago, the Mexican city of Acapulco was hit by Hurricane Otis, decimating the city and leaving more than 100 dead or missing.
Griffiths explained that food production would be impacted by extreme weather events like these, along with heatwaves and droughts, leading to potential shortages or price increases.
In 2022, half of the UK’s food was imported from overseas, with a quarter coming from the Mediterranean region – but poor projected future yields because of an increase in extreme weather will mean much less hitting our supermarket shelves. One report says much of that is ungrowable in the UK.
Griffiths says the UK will face many other problems, including the spread of new diseases as he explained that “warmer conditions can extend the range of many pathogens and the vectors that carry them, like mosquitoes”.
If that wasn’t bleak enough, he warned that his company is soon to publish a report showing that “UK flood damage has grown at a rate of 400 per cent in the last thirty years”, warning that without ‘heavy investment’ in flood defences, the UK will be unable to stop the upward trend.
He provided an explanation as to why more frequent and extreme weather is very likely, saying: “In layman’s terms, the Earth’s atmosphere is like a giant engine that’s powered by the sun.
“The more energy it gets, the more heat we get which leads to more water vapour which leads to more rain.
“With more rain comes more storms, heavier rainfall and with more heat, comes more heatwaves and severe droughts and so the cycle continues.”
Climate change is being overwhelmingly caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of natural habitats.
