Tonight:
9°c
4C temperature rise 'extreme but plausible'
28.09.09
Temperatures could rise by 4C in this generation according to a new study from British scientists, it was reported.
Richard Betts from the Met Office Hadley Centre will unveil a report at Oxford University today claiming that climate change is an imminent threat, the Guardian reported.
He said: "We've always talked about these very severe impacts only affecting future generations, but people alive today could live to see a 4C rise.
"People will say it's an extreme scenario, and it is an extreme scenario, but it's also a plausible scenario."
The research was carried out for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the newspaper said.
It says that if emissions are not cut then there could be a 4C rise by 2060, some areas such as the Arctic and western and southern Africa seeing leaps of 10C.
A spokesman for the DECC said: "The Met Office Hadley Centre research shows that if emissions continue to rise unchecked, it is likely that global warming could exceed 4C by the end of this century.
"A rise of this scale would have serious consequences for the global community with food security, water availability and health all being adversely affected. This report illustrates why it imperative for the world to reach an ambitious climate deal at Copenhagen which keeps the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees."
Reader views (9)
"The research was carried out for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)" That's all you need
to know!
- Lb, Bromley
A 4 degree rise would be wonderful, if somewhat dissappointing considering its only a few years ago they promised us the climate of Portugal.
Its time for the green groups to deliver this oft promised temperature rise or time we stopped funding them through extortionate "environmental taxes".
- Stew, London
Is this the same lot who only yesterday (and again this morning) predicted a nice sunny day today "just like yesterday" (Sunday!). God help us! What a shower.
- Haskey, London SE1
Is this the same Met Office that predicted a "barbecue summer"?
The Met Office can't even tell you what day it will be tomorrow, let alone what the weather may or may not be like in a few year's time.
However, as they are a government department, expect to see more of your disposable income disappearing down the drain to "combat" climate change.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
It is also plausible that I will win the lottery, although I can't see it happening.
Ro in India, climate change is measured over decades and centuries. What happened last week is irrelevant in this discussion.
- Dannyp, Egham
In-line with a scientist's prediction a few months back that the world population would be only 200,000,000 in 2100! Imagine what unspeakable horrors are awaiting the next few generations!
- Phil Jones, London UK
Great news.At least I won't be wasting my savings on heating bills when I get older.
- Steve, London
Yeah, right. There really good with these predictions, aren't they.
The Met Office use the same model (the Unified Model) to predict weather and climate, just run at different resolutions. You know the model, the one that predicted a BBQ summer this year, that promised a long hot summer last year, that promised a long hot summer the year before. 0 for 3, as the yanks might say.
- Joe Soap, London
strangely.. we've already seen that rise. I live in a town in western india. Winters go down to 8 degrees min, with a high in the lower 20's. This year..we've officially had no winter.. the lowest the temp went to was 18 and just for a few days. None of us used a sweater, and New Tear, always spent in front of a bonfire, saw everyone saying it was too hot for one!
Summer brought us a never seen before high of 45, as compared to the highest being 30 in the past years. This town used to be Brighton in the summer during the British days. Now..it's way too hot even for that.
The common man, whose last thought was the weather.. now talks of it like the Brits do. Monsoon was supposed to end beginning of Sept. It's predicted to rain this week, as it did last week -in sheets. Today the temperature, which should have been in the 30's by now, is 22