Climate Change Affecting Britain? 106 Mile an Hour Winds Sweep England's West Coast
Inclement weather is becoming a common occurrence on Britain's West Coast. Winds have been whipping at up to 106 miles per hour.
On Wednesday, the powerful wind gusts overturned trucks and uprooted trees in the area, according to The Associated Press.
The conditions are so severe that local rail operator Virgin Trains felt it necessary to update its website with an ominous warning: "Do Not Travel."
But that's not all. Many homes were recently destroyed due to the River Thames' inability to hold back the increased sea levels brought on by the storms.
Constant wind and rain has battered England since December. This January was particularly nasty. It was the wettest month on record since such things were monitored starting in 1766.
The worsening weather conditions directly correlate with climate change according to Britain's Met Office, the country's national weather service. While it cannot say with one-hundred percent certainty that these conditions are man-made it's researchers are quite certain they are.
"All the evidence suggests there is a link to climate change," said Met Chief Scientist Julia Slingo.
Months, if not years, of research is needed to craft digital weather simulations that will fully determine if climate change is indeed the source of the increased wind, rain and flooding in Britain.
Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann was pleasantly surprised by the Met's change in tone. It hasn't taken such a hardline stance towards climate change before.
"The bottom line is this: we are indeed now seeing with our very eyes the impacts of climate change on severe weather, record heat, drought, more intense hurricane activity," Mann wrote in an email. "The only question at this point is how far downstream this treacherous torrent we are going to paddle."
Local residents certainly don't want to reach that point of no return.
"I tried to prepare for this, I bought 100 pounds of sand and I called the council," said Suhair Al-Fouadi of Egham. "But they would do nothing. Now I have water from the sewer coming in through my doors."
How do you think climate change will affect you over the course of your lifetime? Are you worried that large portions of the country will effectively become an aquarium? Let me know in the comments section below.
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