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You know what? We're pretty happy with the fact that London is the capital of the UK. I mean, we've got it all: Rowans bowling alley, brilliant back garden chefs, AJ Tracey and the actual Queen. So you'll understand our shock over a new report which suggests that the threat of flooding due to the climate crisis is so severe that the UK might have to find a new capital city in a few years time.
Sir David King, who is chair of the Climate Advisory Group, has said that London is so at risk from rising sea levels that it would make sense to move the capital elsewhere to avoid the chaos that would ensue when parts of the city inevitably end up under water.
'If we run forward in time and we continue emitting greenhouse gases at the current level we can no longer defend our valuable assets and we would have to start moving to higher land,' King told The Mirror. 'What am I talking about? I am talking for example about the capital. This is already happening in Indonesia, the Government is moving the capital from higher land because Jakarta is being so seriously flooded already.' Blimey.
'They have rising sea levels, Jakarta is sitting very close to sea level and it’s a place with a river estuary so the estuaries are flooding at the same time as the storms are flooding from the ocean so Jakarta is no longer viable for the next 20 to 30 years,' added King, who has previously worked as the Government's chief scientific advisor.
As an island nation, King explains that the biggest challenge the UK faces due to climate change is rising sea levels and storms at sea. 'Storms at sea when you are an island nation also mean storms inland so the net result is our coastal areas are under attack at the same time as our rivers are flooding.' Various parts of the capital are predicted to be underwater by 2030 and the high-tide level of the Thames has steadily been rising since the 1880s, increasing more than 1.5 metres since 1780, according to data gathered by the Open University.
It's not just London that's screwed. Other major UK cities, including Bristol and Hull, are also under threat. So probs best not to relocate the capital to either of those places.
Sheffield is the highest city above sea level, by the way. Just saying.
24 small ways to save the planet.
Climate change will put these areas of London underwater within a decade. JFC.