Climate change in the United Kingdom facts for kids

This graph shows how the temperature in Central England has changed from 1659 to 2014, getting warmer over time.

Climate change is affecting the United Kingdom (UK). The UK's weather is getting warmer. Summers are becoming drier, and winters are getting wetter. We are seeing more storms, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Rising sea levels are also impacting coastal areas. The UK has also added to climate change. It has released more greenhouse gases per person than the world average. Climate change is costing the UK money and creating risks for people's health and nature.

The UK government wants to cut emissions by 50% of 1990 levels by 2025. They aim for net zero emissions by 2050. In 2020, the UK promised to cut emissions by 68% by 2030. This was part of its Paris Agreement commitments. The country will stop using coal power by 2024. The UK Parliament passed laws about climate change in 2006 and 2008. The 2008 law was the first time a government legally required cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The UK Climate Change Programme started in 2000. The Climate Change Committee gives advice on how to reach emission targets. In 2019, Parliament declared a 'climate emergency'. The UK has played a big role in global efforts against climate change. This includes UN conferences and its time in the European Union.

British politicians have talked about climate change since the late 1900s. But it gained more attention from politicians, the public, and the media in the UK from the 2000s. Surveys show most Britons are worried about it. The British royal family also sees this as a top issue. King Charles III has spoken out about climate change for 50 years. Many climate change protests have happened in the UK.

How the UK's Climate is Changing

Temperature and Weather Shifts

This graph shows the average yearly temperature in Central England from 1659 to 2019.

This map shows the UK's climate zones from 1980–2016.

This map shows how the UK's climate zones might look by 2100 with the most intense climate change.

The Central England temperature records started in 1659. They show a clear rise in temperature. This matches human-caused climate change, not just natural weather changes. The Met Office says climate change will make UK winters warmer and wetter. Summers will be hotter and drier. Spanish plumes will still happen. But they will bring more intense weather, like very hot summer days and strong thunderstorms.

By 2014, the UK had its seven warmest years and four of its five wettest years between 2000 and 2014. Higher temperatures cause more water to evaporate, which leads to more rain. In 2014, England had its wettest winter in over 250 years. This caused widespread flooding.

In parts of southeast UK, the temperature on the hottest days rose by 1°C every decade from 1960 to 2019. The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 40.3°C in Coningsby in 2022. In 2020, reaching 40°C was rare. But it is now 10 times more likely due to human impact. If emissions are moderate, it could happen every 15 years by 2100. If emissions are high, it could happen every 3–4 years. Summers with temperatures over 35°C happen every 5 years now. But they could happen almost every other year by 2100 with high emissions.

Extreme Weather Events

The Met Office warns that the UK will face more frequent and intense extreme weather events because of climate change.

Floods

Climate change has made floods more likely, like during Storm Dennis.

Warmer, wetter winters mean more rain. This leads to more flooding. The UK government has an online map showing areas at risk of flooding.

Heatwaves

Houses destroyed by the Wennington wildfire in July 2022.

Heatwaves are becoming stronger and more common in the UK. Nine of the UK's top ten hottest days happened between 1990 and 2022. The 2022 heatwave was the first time a "code red" extreme heat warning was issued. It led to a national emergency, causing wildfires and damage to buildings and roads.

Rising Sea Levels

Between 1900 and 2022, the UK's sea level went up by 16.5 cm. The rate of rise more than doubled from the early 1900s to the early 2000s. It is now rising at 3-5.2 millimetres per year. By 2050, about a third of England's coast could be affected. Nearly 200,000 homes might need to be left behind. The areas most at risk are the South West, North West, and East Anglia.

Water Shortages and Droughts

Droughts in the UK are expected to get worse. Water quality in rivers and lakes might decline. This is due to higher temperatures, less river flow, and more algal blooms in summer. In winter, river flows might increase.

Effects on Nature

Climate change has brought more warm-weather species to the UK, like the cattle egret.

Warmer temperatures are affecting wildlife and plants. Some species are moving north. Scottish alpine plants have decreased. Spring is arriving earlier each year. Many plants and animals cannot adapt fast enough. Birds are impacted. Warm-weather birds like cattle egrets and purple herons started breeding in the UK for the first time in the 2010s. But cold-adapted birds like lapwings have declined. More regular droughts also harm many British species and natural areas. For example, in 2022, the Ouse Washes wetlands were at risk of drying out.

Climate change will also affect sea life around the British Isles. This includes some important fish species. Many fish species are expected to move to new areas. Cold-adapted species will decrease, and warm-adapted species will settle in.

How Climate Change Affects People

Money Matters

The government says that up to 970,000 homes could be at risk of flooding in the 2020s. This is up from about 370,000 homes in 2012. The costs of flooding and managing flood risk are about £2.2 billion a year. This is much more than the less than £1 billion spent on flood protection. Farming in the UK is also affected by droughts and changing weather.

In 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated that Storm Dennis caused £175m to £225m in damage to homes, businesses, and cars. Storm Ciara cost up to £200m. Friends of the Earth criticized the British government for planned cuts to flood defence spending. Protecting against more floods due to climate change needs more money. In 2009, the Environment Agency calculated that the UK needs to spend £20m more each year until 2035. This is just to keep up with climate change.

The British government and economist Nicholas Stern published the Stern Review in 2006. This report said climate change is the biggest market failure ever. It presents a unique challenge for the economy. The Review suggested solutions like environmental taxes. Its main conclusion is that taking strong action early on climate change is much cheaper than not acting. The Review highlighted how climate change affects water, food, health, and the environment. Without action, the report said, the total costs of climate change would be like losing at least 5% of the world's wealth (GDP) every year, forever. If more risks are included, this could rise to 20% of GDP or more. The Review's simple message is: acting now saves a lot more money later.

Climate change made the unusual rainfall in autumn and winter 2023-2024 ten times more likely and 20% stronger. This rain caused "severe damage to homes and roads, power cuts, travel delays, and big losses of crops and farm animals." The damage to crops alone was £1.2 billion, not including vegetables. Claims for home insurance due to weather disasters went up by over a third.

What the UK is Doing About Climate Change

Reducing Emissions (Mitigation)

Solar panels installed at Grange farm, Balcombe.

In 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. This made it the first major economy to set such a goal. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in 2020 that the UK would aim for a 68% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This target was included in its Paris Agreement promises.

Calculations in 2021 showed that to have a 50% chance of avoiding a temperature rise of 2 degrees or more, the UK should increase its climate promises by 17%. For a 95% chance, it should increase them by 58%. To have a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees, the UK should increase its promises by 97%.

Energy

Electricity from wind power in the UK grew by 715% between 2009 and 2020.

Under Margaret Thatcher, the UK's coal industry was reduced. Subsidies were cut, and the miners' union was weakened after a big strike in 1984. In 2015, the government said all coal power stations would close by 2025. In 2021, they moved this coal phase-out target forward to 2024. The UK has been increasing its use of renewable energy. This includes power from wind, solar, and water.

Electric Cars

The UK is also working to increase the number of electric cars on its roads. This helps reduce emissions from transport.

Getting Ready for Changes (Adaptation)

The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment shows the risks the UK faces. This report helps create the National Adaptation Programme.

The National Adaptation Programme (NAP) aims to create a "climate-ready society." It expects households to adapt to climate change. The NAP outlines actions the government and others will take to adapt to climate change challenges. For example, in England, this covers a five-year period. It includes areas like nature, buildings, people, businesses, and local government. NAP3 explains the government's plans for adapting to climate change between 2023-28.

A study in Climatic Change found that many UK households struggled to adapt long-term. More flood risk affects the UK's private insurance sector. The Bank of England aims to keep financial stability even with climate change impacts. In Happisburgh, where homes are falling into the sea due to coastal erosion and sea level rise, a "Pathfinder" project offers market prices to owners to move inland.

The Wildlife Trusts have suggested bringing back Eurasian beavers. They believe beavers can help British rivers and wetlands cope with droughts. They can also create areas that store carbon and prevent flooding.

Rules and Laws

The Climate Change Programme started in 2000. This was after the government promised to act at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

The UK has national laws, international agreements, and EU rules. The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 aimed to boost small-scale heat and electricity generation in the UK. This helps cut emissions and reduce fuel poverty. The Climate Change Act 2008 made it a legal duty for the government to ensure UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 are at least 80% lower than in 1990. It also created the independent Climate Change Committee to advise the government. This Act made the UK the first country to legally require cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

These targets have been updated in the UK's Sixth Carbon Budget of 2021. It set targets to cut carbon emissions by 78% compared to 1990 levels by 2035. It also confirmed reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The Health and Care Act 2022 includes a target for the National Health Service to be carbon neutral by 2040. It also aims for an 80% cut in emissions by 2028-32.

In May 2019, Parliament agreed to declare a national climate change emergency. However, this does not legally force the government to act. The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill was introduced in September 2020.

The United Kingdom does not have a direct carbon tax. Instead, it has various fuel and energy taxes. Examples include the fuel duty escalator (1993) and the Climate Change Levy (2001). The UK was part of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme until it left the EU. It now has its own carbon trading scheme.

Working with Other Countries

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Since Tony Blair was Prime Minister, climate change has been a top issue in the UK's foreign policy. The UK has brought up the issue at meetings of international groups it belongs to, like the G8 and United Nations Security Council. The UK also influenced the climate change policy of the European Union when it was a member.

British diplomats have helped negotiate international agreements at UN summits. Before the 2009 conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched a plan. It called for an international agreement to bring money for climate change adaptation in developing countries. The UK hosted the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. During this conference, the Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed upon. Before the conference, Richard Moore said the Secret Intelligence Service started watching major polluters. This was to ensure they kept their promises. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it would give £290m to climate change projects in developing countries.

Society and Culture

Public Opinion

In a 2022 survey, 75% of UK people thought climate change was a big threat.

By 2021, YouGov found that 72% of Britons believe human activity causes climate change. This was up from 49% in 2013. The Office for National Statistics reported in October 2021 that 75% of British adults were worried about climate change. 19% were neither worried nor unworried. British women were more likely to be worried than men. Younger people were more worried than older age groups.

Activism and Cultural Responses

The group Extinction Rebellion at a climate change protest in Bournemouth, 2021.

Environmental protests have happened in the UK. Camps for Climate Action started in 2006. School strikes began in the 2010s. Groups like Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain use tactics like blocking traffic. They protest climate change issues. Extinction Rebellion was started by UK activists in 2018. It then grew to other countries and influenced the global climate movement.

In February 2014, during major flooding, the Church of England said it would remove investments from companies not doing enough to fight climate change. In 2007, a Live Earth concert took place in London to raise awareness. In 2019, many musicians, record labels, and venues in the British music industry formed Music Declares Emergency. This group demands action on climate change.

Media Coverage

British tabloid newspapers reported on climate change differently from 2000 to 2006. Their reporting often did not match the scientific agreement that humans cause climate change. The political views of newspapers affected their coverage. The left-leaning The Guardian covered it more than the more conservative The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mail between 1997 and 2017. The BBC has been criticized for inviting fringe views into its climate change coverage. In 2018, it admitted it had covered climate change "wrong too often." It said it was false balance to invite deniers into its coverage. Media coverage of the July 2022 heatwave varied based on political viewpoints. Some mentioned climate change, while others played down the heatwave's severity.

The Monarchy's Role

Prince Charles speaking at the opening of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The British royal family has supported efforts to reduce climate change. Charles III has shown concern about climate change impacts. He has called for world leaders to act. He even suggested a "Marshall-like plan" to deal with it. Elizabeth II called for action at COP26. Prince William and Prince Harry have also taken up climate change causes. The Royal Foundation funds the Earthshot Prize under William's support. Environmentalists recognize their role but have criticized the environmental state of the Crown Estate.

Climate Change in Different UK Regions

London

This map shows how many people live in London and areas near the coast that are at low elevation.

London is especially at risk from climate change. Experts are worried that homes in the city might run out of water before 2050.

Scotland

Climate change is affecting Scotland. It is causing changes in temperature, rainfall, and sea levels. Scotland is working on plans to reduce its emissions and adapt to these changes.

Wales

Wales is also experiencing the effects of climate change. This includes changes in weather patterns and impacts on its natural environment. Efforts are being made to address these challenges.