Home > Living > Sustainability > Climate change - what it is and what it means for Portsmouth

Climate change - what it is and what it means for Portsmouth

Climate change is the most serious environmental challenge facing us in the 21st century, and the activities of humans are making a significant contribution (source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment report 2007).

We have accepted this evidence and are committed to tackling the problem.

There is a clear link between the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and the increase in global temperature. The most significant greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2), therefore action to tackle climate change will concentrate largely on reducing CO2 emissions. However action will also need to be taken to reduce other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

There are certain attributes of our world today that are making action on climate change even more urgent such as population growth, the economic growth of developing countries, our dependency on fossil fuels for energy and our limited resources.

No detailed research has been completed on the specific implications of climate change for Portsmouth. However, predictions for South East England include:

hotter, dryer summers and warmer wetter winters
sunnier summers due to reduction in average cloud cover
generally windier with an increased risk of extreme weather events – storms, flooding and droughts

By 2080 sea levels in the English Channel are predicted to be 54cm higher. Locally we may even experience 1m rise of sea level over the next 100 years.

Climate change is something we simply cannot ignore in Portsmouth, as a coastal city we are incredibly vulnerable to the predicted impacts of climate change with sea level rises increasing the risk of flooding, and rising temperatures increasing the risk of heat related deaths for the most vulnerable of our residents.

The next 10 years will be crucial for us to manage and reduce climate change.