Facts and figures about the United Kingdom and climate change.
 | Facts from the Allianz/WWF Climate ScorecardGreenhouse gas emissions in the UK by sector and energy sources (Graphic: Allianz/WWF) |
Britain's Carbon Footprint at a Glance
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Population: 60.6 million people
Estimated annual CO2 emissions (UNFCCC): around 562.4 million tons (2004, 7th largest worldwide)
10 FACTS ABOUT BRITAIN AND CLIMATE CHANGE
01. UK emissions of CO2 currently account for about two percent of the global total. Officially, Britain's greenhouse gas output is 17% lower now than in 1990.
02. If pollution from aviation, shipping, overseas trade, and tourism is included then emissions of UK greenhouse gases have risen 19% since 1990, according to a study from Oxford university.
03. By 2020, London could see twice as many days exceed temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) each summer. By 2050, there will be between three to five times as many hot days in the British capital.
04. Across the country, the UK Environment Agency spends around 500 million pounds on flood defenses. Authorities expect this figure to double over the next 20 years.
05. Nine out of ten of the hottest years in British history have occurred in the last 20 years.
06. Air travel, one of the most carbon-intensive human activities, is expected to increase more in Britain in the coming decades. Passenger movements at UK airports are expected to more than double by 2030.
07. The autumn and winter floods in 2000 in the UK were the worst in 270 years in some areas. Flooding that year cost the farming industry more than 700 million euros.
08. Since 1998, the cost of repairing damage from extreme weather events and floods in the UK has increased by 60 percent.
09. The growing season for plants in central England is now a month longer than it was in 1900.
10. Average sea level around the UK is now about 10cm higher than it was in 1900.
Sources: WWF-UK, Friends of the Earth, BBC, DEFRA, Guardian
editor: Valdis Wish
latest update: May 28, 2009
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