CASE STUDIES

1. CASE STUDIES The impact of global warming on the British isles

2. So what is happening and what do people think? • More and more people are believing that global warming is turning the British isles into more of a Mediterranean climate. This could have a big effect on the way of life in the British isles, with radical differences happening. The 3 main differences would be • Changes to crop belts • Changes to wildlife and vegetation • Rising sea level These all would have a big effect because they are a big way of life in the British isles.

3. Changes to crop belts • There would be substantial changes to agriculture • Soil erosion may increase in the heat • There will be less constant rain, and more frequent heavy storms • Different crops will have to be grown to suit that environment.

4. Changes to wildlife and vegetation • The change in vegetation has a big effect on wildlife. • The main organisations including MAFF, forestry Commission, are sponsoring an environmental change network, consisting of 8 research centres to monitor changes in vegetation. • There may be more outbreaks of insect pests. • Other traditional English species may die out • A spread of malaria may become more imminent as mosquitoes from the Mediterranean thrive in the British isles.

5. Rising sea levels • This is the biggest threat to the British isles • There is an estimation of a sea level rise by as much as 38cm by 2030. • Britain is still responding to loss of ice from last ice age, meaning the north is slightly rising and the south is sinking. • The Institution of Terrestrial Ecology has estimated a £5 billion budget to be spent on building sea defences to prevent flooding, this also could result in a rebuild of the Thames barrier, which was first completed 1984.