UK Heavy Rain to Worsen by 2080 Due to Climate Change [Study]

Heavy rain has bombarded the UK with widespread disruption due to massive flooding, as seen over the past years, wherein some politicians had reportedly blamed climate change and global warming.

Evidence provided by climate scientists also shared the same sentiment that the climate crisis is causing further extreme weather events and frequent, powerful storms.

Earlier this month, a new study presented in The Conversation website, indicates that the UK heavy rain could worsen by the year 2080.

This is the case if the current human-induced climate emergency and planetary warming continue or worsen.

For decades, scientists have warned about the weather and environmental repercussions of a changing climate.

Last year, climate scientists held multiple demonstrations worldwide.

In the US, climate activists and scientists protested at private airport across the country, including in California, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington State.

Related protests also occurred in the UK, Germany, and Italy. Some of the demonstrators were arrested by police forces.

The gatherings were primarily addressed for policymakers, head of states, and industries, which line of business is related to greenhouse gas emissions and burning of fossil fuels.

The findings of the latest study highlights that a warming planet holds more moisture, leading to more substantial rainfall, in a 100-year period from the 1980s to 2080.

UK Heavy Rain

(Photo : Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Vehicles negotiate a flooded section of the A1 road on November 02, 2022 in London, England. Torrential rain and flash flooding hit the region late on Wednesday evening, causing traffic jams as cars became stuck in the standing water.

The new study was published in the journal Nature Communications on March 7, wherein researchers estimate that rainfall events in the UK could exceed 20 millimeters per hour that can cause flash flooding four times as frequent by 2070 under higher greenhouse gas emissions.

These conditions could further intensify into 2080.

The research team also predicted that every degree of temperature increase could result from 5% to 15% spike in extreme downpours in a regional level.

The assessment is based on a 100-year climate projection using various data, including from the Met Office operational weather forecast model.

The team mentioned that the aim of their paper is to determine the likelihood of heavy rain events in the UK and across Europe in the coming years and decades, as cited by Phys.org.

Also Read: Volcanic Eruptions can Worsen as Heavy Rainfall Persists Near Volcanoes Like Mt. St. Helens, Study Suggests

Blaming Climate Change

In 2021, over 120 people have died and hundreds went missing after the worst rainfall and flooding in decades occurred in Western Europe, including Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

According to the BBC News, some politicians in Germany extreme weather such as the torrential rain in the continent is the result of climate change, and they are calling for action as well to combat climate change.

Meanwhile, the organizations Climate Intelligence (Clintel) said some European politicians are attributing the worsening weather phenomenon to citizens and entrepreneurs from participating in the climate emergency game.

Between 2015 and 2016, the UN spearheaded a coalition of world leaders that would unify both the state and people in the industrial field to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

The initiative will be later known as the Paris Agreement.