Global warming pushing flood damage costs up in Britain

LONDON (AFP) Apr 22, 2004
Britain's annual bill for flood damage could increase 20-fold this century unless steps are taken to combat the global warming which is causing it, a report by the government's chief scientist said Thursday.

The report, written by David King, head of the Office of Science and Technology for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, forecast that the cost of flood damage would rise from one billion pounds (1.49 billion euros, 1.77 billion dollars) a year to 21 billion pounds by 2080.

It said the probability of floods along British rivers and coasts could be between two and 20 times higher and that flooding due to rain could be up to six times higher.

The number of people living in areas at risk from flooding is likely to rise from 1.6 million today to between 2.3 and 3.6 millions by 2080.

King told BBC radio that investments in projects to tackle flooding "will need to be increased over the next 20 years from something like 500 million per annum today to up to close to one billion per annum".

SPACE.WIRE