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Wildlife will vanish as London gets warmer, say climate experts
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Editor5 Oct 2009
London's wildlife could change dramatically because of global warming, a new report has found.
For the first time it lays out the plants and animals that will be worst hit as a result of rising temperatures.
Experts say numbers of spiders and insects are likely to rocket, while species such as the kingfisher and common frog could virtually disappear.
The research by the London Climate Change Partnership, a group of businesses, local authorities and academics, will be presented to Boris Johnson next week.
"The effects of climate change are going to be felt particularly hard in London, as the amount of buildings and lack of green space give us our own microclimate," said Peter Massini from Natural England, which is a member of the partnership.
"Wetlands will be worst hit, as it is possible they will simply dry up. However, the Thames could also fare badly, as we expect a lot of the tributaries to have a much reduced waterflow, which will mean less oxygen is in the water. This has a huge effect on the plants and animals in the water."
The report is based on data from the Government's "medium risk" assessment of climate change, which predicts average summer temperatures will increase by 2.7C by 2050.
However, scientists admit they do not know how bad the change will be, or how quickly it will occur. The report found the main future threats to London are overheating, flooding and drought. Even species which favour warm weather might struggle as the wetlands dry up, Mr Massini said.
He added: "We believe there are opportunities to give London more green space and help alleviate the problems. Even the average Londoner can help by putting a pond in their garden, for instance. They can even use runoff water from their roof to fill it."
Reader views (12)
The end of the world is neigh, we are all going to die, run for the hills ... aaaaaahhhhhh!
I wonder what's on the other channels?!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 05/10/2009 15:16
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Global warming is most definitely occuring. I'm 36 years old and I have noticed differences since my childhood. When I was a youngster it regularly snowed every Jan and Feb and a local hillside in Luton would be continuously covered in snow for at least 3 weeks if not for almost 2 months. Hundreds of locals would head out sledging and there were even people with skis! Since the mid 90s however snow has only remained on it for a matter of days at a time and most years there's no snow at all.
- Mcw, London, 05/10/2009 14:46
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The idea that a small increase in Carbon Dioxide, which at 380 parts per million is little more than a trace atmospheric gas, can alter the planet's climate is ridiculous. The tilt of the earth as it orbits the sun, ocean currents, air currents and solar sunspot activity - yes. Carbon Dioxide - come off it.
- Andrew, London, 05/10/2009 13:30
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This is what the fox in my garden must have been moaning about last night.
- Bloke, Lambeth, 05/10/2009 13:29
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More ECO mumbo jumbo. Another expert, where do they all come from.
- Mr S.Port, London, 05/10/2009 12:34
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Richard Hudson buries his head in the sand. Richard Hudson thinks human kind can multiply without control, consume, and excrete, and that all of this will not affect the state of the organism which Planet Earth. It is utter foolishness.
Some people can't bear the thought that the party is OVER.
- David, Ludlow, England., 05/10/2009 10:49
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More climate change spin and waffle.
The planet has been changing since day one - time to get used to it - and STOP taxing Joe Public at every turn.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 05/10/2009 10:42
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We really ought consider thinning London out, proper developing the Thames gateway and building spaciously with nature corridors through 'Old London' and the green belt.
Some grander infrastructure and modern utilities wouldn't go amiss either.
Beats putting a mosquito attracting pond in the garden for my money.
- Mark Harrop, Horbury Junction, UK, 05/10/2009 10:41
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Global warming doom mongers completely ignore historical events.
They keep on talking about year such and such being "the warmest ever". Rubbish: they mean since records began. And accurate records only started in the 18th century, during the so called "little ice age" when the Thames regularly froze.
In prehistoric times temperatures have frequently been far, far higher than they are now: remains of tropical animals have been found in Britain.
Even in the "interglacial" period since the last proper ice age there have been huge temparuture swings. The Romans had vineyards in Britain. These disappeared during the "dark ages". In the first few centuries of the second millenium the Vikings colonised Greenland. These colonies died out as weather conditions worsened with the start of "the little ice age".
I admit to being a cynic, but all the doom about global warming seems like yet another attempt by government to keep the population in a state of fear.
- David, London, 05/10/2009 10:41
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"However, scientists admit they do not know how bad the change will be, or how quickly it will occur. " - That about sums it up really. Go away till you actually have something sensible to say. With the help of our throw away culture so called 'wild life' will always thrive in London, seriously Sea Gulls in London?!?! You think they are there because the weathers bad at sea?
- S Macdonald, Londan Tan innit., 05/10/2009 10:32
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Richard, you are quite right, it is only wildlife. As long as you aren't worried that this is the fastest climatic change change since maybe the great extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, then it probably is just politics. And as long as you are cool that one of the species that will be badly affected or may die out is homo sapiens, don't worry about the scaremongering. Besides, the worst effects will only be felt in low-lying, distant places like the Amazon, Bangladesh, Holland and... the Thames valley.
- Bill Blackledge, Brough, UK, 05/10/2009 10:31
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Global Warming is nothing but a political tool for taxation and scaremongering. The planet on which we live has heated up and cooled down (Tropical Periods and Ice Ages) for millions of years, what we are in now is the lead up to a tropical period. Species will die out, some will evolve, new species may come into the city. That is the point of natural selection. When will people realise that this is what the planet does!!!!
- Richard Hudson, Harlow, UK, 05/10/2009 09:27
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