Current Issues Climate Change

8/11/2019 Current Issues Climate Change

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1Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change and floods in the UK

Kleyse Mirelle de Oliveira Vieira Santana

ISEM 101 Exploring Global Communities

University of Idaho


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2CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change and floods in the UK

Higher temperatures, wildlife risk, rising seas, increased risk of floods and drought,

stronger storms. Worldwide is already possible to realize that many transformations are

happening on the environment. Therefore, as a result of the excessive release of greenhouse

gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO 2), to the atmosphere, the Earth is becoming increasingly

hot (Saiba mais sobre Mudanas Climticas, n.d.). As one of the most important effects of

climate change, nowadays, the flow of water of the Earth has increased, which makes drought

and floods more common, serious, and extensive. To clarify, it happens for the reason that the

quantity of humidity that evaporates from soil and water increases with higher temperatures,

which conducts to formation of drought areas. In addition, when it is raining, these kind areas

become more susceptible to flooding (Climate Change Impacts, n.d.). Thus, many notices about

this type of impact caused by climate change have appeared every day. To exemplify, some

important newspapers around the world, such as Blue and Green Tomorrow, BBC, and The

Guardian exposed the notice about a research made in Oxford University, which analyses the

risk of flood in the UK.

According to Harvey (2014), The Guardians journalist, in her article climate Change

Making Extreme Rainfall in Eng land More Likely, some research made by the Oxford

University exposes that rainfall events that would only happen once in a hundred years, now it is

probable to occur once every eighty years. Also, it explains that the probability of these events

happening because of the climate change. As, emission of greenhouse gases, beyond pollution,

are increasing, the odds of heavy rain has really enhanced in England.


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In addition to The Guardians article, the Blue & Green Tomorrow also argues about the

probability of floods in the UK. Revell (2014) shows that following the worst winter, which had

happened in 1767, in many parts of Britain, global warming has enhanced the odd of extreme

wet winter in the same area by 20 25%. Still, the article explains, how the researchers reached

the data about rainfalls. The author expresses that it was executed some tests using two

scenarios. The first was based on the present global climate, and the second was based on how

would be our current global scenario if the burning fossil fuels had never existed, in other word,

a non-warmed world. Thus, they could achieve the results showed previously by The Guardian

News.

In the same way, the BBC News posted an article explaining the same research about

floods in the UK. Redfern (2014), BBCs reporter, e xposed in his article Warming boosts UK

flooding risk that the floods that occurred in January in Britain was double the normal rainfall

that happens each month. In addition, he said that the researches are exploring the results for

other goals, such as river flows. Still, they want found out if climate change will affect the whole

Europe in the same way. Actually, they believe that in the Central Europe the floods tend to

decrease instead, which means the research only works for the UK.

As a result, it is possible to realize that climate change has really changed the worlds

weather. And, it could be observed in the UK through increase of floods probability, and

rigorous winter. However, global warming might have different impacts in different areas, such

as in the Central Europe. But, The world still has to realize something wrong is happening and

needs to be changed; otherwise, effects will still be more widespread than now.


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References

Climate Change Impacts Increased Risk of Drought, Fire, and Floods . (n.d.). The Nature

Conservancy Organization. Retrieved from

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-

change/threats-impacts/drought-fire-floods.xml.

Saiba mais sobre Mudanas Climticas (n.d.). WWF Brazil. Retrieved from

http://www.wwf.org.br/natureza_brasileira/reducao_de_impactos2/clima/mudancas_clim

aticas/.

Harvey, F. (2014). Climate change 'making extreme rainfall in England more likely . The

Guardian. Retrieved from

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/30/climate-change-extreme-rainfall-

england-flooding.

Revell, T. (2014). Climate change increasing flood risk in the UK. Blue and Green Tomorrow .

Retrieved from http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2014/05/01/climate-change-

increasing-flood-risk-in-the-uk/.

Redfern, S. (2014). Warming boosts UK flooding risk. BBC News . Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27228408.

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Current Issues Climate Change