The UK could see hellish temperatures of 40C in the coming years if it does not act immediately, a leading environmental specialist and meteorologist has warned.
Jim Dale has warned of the devastating impact climate change will have, as Brits are set to bask in 29C sunshine today, which will mark the hottest early May weather on record.
The weather expert said that temperatures are increasing across the globe and “we can expect” 40C to be the norm in Britain “going forward”.
He added: “These are high summer temperatures in spring.
“The writing is on the wall. I think we are ill prepared and the Government needs to do more. We are not moving quickly enough.”
It comes as the Climate Change Committee urged the Government to take action, stating “the Government must act without further delay to improve the national approach to climate resilience.”
They recommend that coordination must be made across government, such as activities, spending decisions, sectors, and departments.
They urge that they need to integrate adaptation into all relevant policies, stating that the next Spending Review needs to ensure that climate adaptation planning is supported with sufficient resources across government.
They believe in implementing monitoring, evaluations and learning across all sectors, underpinned by regular data collection and reporting, as an essential to track climate impacts.
Mr Dale said that “people will soon come to realise the necessity of these projects in dealing with the effects of climate change and the fact that what we're doing is going to be the right steps rather than doing nothing.”
Scientists are now taking action, setting up a £50 million government project to experiment with techniques to block sunlight amidst the growing temperatures.
This geo-engineering project could involve scientists using techniques like launching clouds of reflective particles into the atmosphere, using seawater sprays to make clouds brighter or thinning natural cirrus clouds, which act as heat-trapping blankets.
If successful, less sunlight will reach the earth’s surface and in turn temporarily cool the surface of earth.
Critics have warned it could cause catastrophic disruption to weather patterns and even shift rain from areas that are vital for food production.