Climate change impacts

Climate change is having and will continue to have a wide range of impacts on the climate system, ecosystems, and humans. The extent to which the very worst-case scenarios for each of these impacts is felt will depend on what we do to act now:

• Increased temperatures - since the Industrial Revolution, the temperature of the earth’s surface has risen by around 1.1C. This may not seem much but is a rapid change at the global level. This warming is not even across all locations, and some are changing more rapidly. Globally, 2023 was the warmest year on record and the top ten warmest years since 1884 have all occurred since 2002 Higher temperatures increase the risk of heat stress, create favourable conditions for more extreme wildfires, and exacerbate food insecurity as conditions for growing crops as altered. For advice about how to stay safe and well during the summer season, especially in high temperatures, visit the Healthy Surrey website.
• Changing weather patterns - in the UK, it is expected that we will see warmer, wetter winters, and hotter, drier summers, with climate change making the extremes of these weathers more severe. The Met Office predicts that by 2070 (compared to 1990) winters will be 1C – 4.5C warmer and 30% wetter, and summers will be 1C – 6C warmer and up to 60% drier. If you would like to see how climate change is expected to affect your local area, check out this tool from the Met Office and BBC.
• More frequent and extreme weather events - this includes heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms that are occurring more often and are of greater intensity. Find out more about different types of flooding, how to prepare for flood events, and who to contact if you are impacted on our flooding page.
• Ocean acidification - oceans absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide and are often described as the ‘blue lungs’ of our planet. However, chemical reactions occurring when oceans absorb carbon dioxide makes them more acidic. This lessens their propensity to absorb more emissions and has dire consequences for coral reefs and the marine life dependent on them for survival.
• Sea level rise - due to melting polar ice and glaciers and the expansion of our oceans as they warm, global sea level has risen by around 20cm in the past century. This is likely faster than at any point in the last 3,000 years and will continue to accelerate in the future without action. Increased sea levels will lead to more localised flooding, flooding of coastal regions, and the potential loss of entire nations.
• Biodiversity loss and ecosystem damage - the impacts of climate change, from warmer temperatures to ocean acidification, all have profound impacts for biodiversity and ecosystems. The UK’s State of Nature Report 2023 states climate change among the biggest drivers of biodiversity decline and notes an average 19% decline in studied species since 1970.

Alongside these environmental impacts, we must also remember that climate change is a humanitarian issue Although the emissions leading to climate change are disproportionately caused by higher income nations and individuals, the impacts of climate change will be disproportionately felt by poorer nations and disadvantaged groups within nations lacking the resources to adapt. Simply put, those least responsible for climate change will be most impacted by it.