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Running 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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CLIMATE 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 England 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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CLIMATE CHANGE


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, exposed 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.