By Days after last week’s climate change protests around the world, new maps have been released showing the predicted effects of rising sea levels.
The map above shows which areas of North East Lincolnshire could be underwater if there is a modest increase of 2°C in global temperatures.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its third in a series of special reports on Wednesday, increasing the upper limit of predicted sea level rises by 10cm to 1.1m. This latest report specifically looks at the impact on the earth’s oceans and frozen regions, should temperatures continue to rise.
The scientists said the planet was in “serious danger”, with the rate of heat being absorbed by the oceans having doubled since 1993. They said the melting ice will trigger a vicious cycle, with the carbon that was trapped in the permanent ice being released and contributing to the heating effect.
The 144 countries that are signed up to the Paris Agreement pledged to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C by the end of the century, but current emission levels could see us hurtling towards a 4°C increase.
It was a week ago that North East Lincolnshire Council declared a “climate emergency” at a meeting of its Full Council meeting. However, unlike neighbouring councils Hull and Doncaster, the vote was not unanimous. Instead, the motion was passed with a vote of 25 for and 12 against.
Liberal Democrat leader Ian Barfield had put forward the motion, which called on the local authority to consider the impact of climate change in all of its future policy decisions. Pointing to policies around school journeys, building contracts and alternative transport, Mr Barfield said:
“There are numerous examples the council’s work that could be turned to helping the environment rather than destroying it.”
Councillors acknowledged the authority had already undertaken a number of initiatives over recent years including installing solar panels and more efficient boilers in buildings and join the smart energy programme.
Labour Councillor Chris Nichols acknowledged that:
The public is way ahead of politicians in recognising the scale of the climate crisis.
However, Deputy Leader, Conservative Councillor John Fenty, who has the responsibility for renewables in his portfolio, asserted that said that:
Climate change is normal.
He said that he disputed “the need to spend or waste billions trying to prove something that has been going on for billions of years”.
He also called the motion:
utter nonsense and not relevant to this chamber.
It would be interesting to hear his views on the report that these maps come from. Below is a map showing which areas of North East Lincolnshire could be underwater if there is a slightly larger increase of 4°C in global temperatures……
Image: https://choices.climatecentral.org
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