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Oxfam Case Study: Flooding in the UK How climate change affects the UK In early 2014, more than 5,000 properties and thousands of hectares of farmland across England and Wales were flooded during the wettest winter since records began in 1776. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, drought and floods are happening more frequently and becoming more severe. The UK Meteorological Office has said that there could be a link between the record rainfall and climate change, and has called for more research. Flooding affects poorer people more than richer people because, for example, their homes and possessions are less likely to be insured. Farmers in the UK have warned that the changing weather patterns could bring new challenges for growing and producing food. Rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns are forcing farmers to change the crops they grow. As well as affecting the production and quality of crops, these extreme weather events can also damage or destroy systems for transporting and distributing food. This in turn affects the supply and availability of food – and also food prices. Soon climate change may affect what all of us eat. Many other species and habitats are also at risk. For example, bees are important pollinators for many plant species. In the UK, bees pollinate more than £1 billion worth of crops each year. Climate change is thought to be one of the key reasons for declines in the numbers of bees and other pollinators. Increasingly unpredictable rain patterns, longer dry spells and rising temperatures are affecting the growth of flowers, which in turn affect the amount of nectar available for the bees. Climate change is also causing shifts in the bees’ habitats, but the bees may not always be able to move with them. Liz’s story Liz is a farmer on a small holding on the Somerset Levels in southern England. As a result of excessive rainfall in December 2013 and January 2014, huge areas of the land were flooded. Liz had to sell her poultry, sheep and pigs early in advance of the floods, because she knew that there wouldn’t be the space to look after them. Liz and her family also faced several evacuation orders from their home. They had to move their furniture and other possessions to the first floor of their house to protect them from water damage. Homes and farms in her area were under water for over two months. There are approximately 94 homes in Liz’s village and only 15 were not flooded. GLP © Crown Copyright Liz sits outside her house on top of sandbags placed to protect her home. © Credit: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam Although it is not unusual for the Somerset Levels to flood, the winter flooding of 2013–14 was exceptionally bad. Liz has joined a local cluster group set up after the floods, whose Chair is on the Flooding on the Levels Action Group (FLAG). These cluster groups are working to ensure that local voices are heard for the government’s future flood protection plans. Liz said: ‘We have to accept that the climate has changed. We’re getting wetter, warmer winters; we’re getting extreme weather that we’ve never got before. ‘The devastation of all the houses with the water lapping around them and the people gone and children’s toys floating away. I was just overwhelmed. I’ve never seen anything like it. It has made me feel very insecure. It’s very easy to say it’s a devastating effect but it really does cloud the rest of your life that these things are out of your control. ‘I think it’s very important for people to get together, to all be singing from the same hymn sheet, raising their voices saying we want people that can act to listen.’ Oxfam – campaigning against climate change Thousands of people took part in the People’s March for Climate, Justice and Jobs in London in November 2015. Credit: © Brendan Foster/Oxfam GLP © Crown Copyright Funded by the UK government Oxfam is challenging world leaders to take more ambitious action against climate change – campaigning for a fair and binding global deal – and is demanding action to: ● reduce emissions ● enable vulnerable countries and communities to adapt to climate change with an international climate fund ● push for a global move towards low-carbon economies. Oxfam is also a member of the Climate Coalition, which is made up of over 100 organisations. These include environment and development charities, unions, faith organisations and communities, and women’s groups. The Climate Coalition’s For the Love of... campaign aims to get young people and adults involved in tackling climate change, for example by contacting their MPs. The campaign asks all citizens, including young people, to make clear to their MPs and the government that people care about climate change and the impacts it is having. Glossary Pollinator Something that pollinates or fertilises a flower. Once a flower is pollinated, it can grow seeds such as the fruits and grains humans eat. Small holding Land used for farming that is much smaller than a typical farm. Adapt to climate change Take practical steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Low-carbon economies An economy based on sources of energy that use little carbon, so they release minimal greenhouse gases into the environment. UK country information GDP per person: $46,297 Population: 64,559,000 Total CO2 emissions: 428,000,000 tonnes CO2 emissions per person: 6.7 tonnes Data sources: World Bank Data (2014): data.worldbank.org/, Global Carbon Atlas (2014); www.globalcarbonatlas.org/ Links: Find out more about Oxfam’s work on climate change: www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/issues-we-work-on/climate-change www.theclimatecoalition.org/ GLP © Crown Copyright Funded by the UK government