UK-Climate Change
Chief scientific adviser at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs warned Thursday that global temperatures could increase by as much as four degrees Celsius as a result of climate change, twice the rise being prepared for.

"There is no doubt that we should aim to limit changes in the global mean surface temperature to 2C above pre-industrial," Professor Bob Watson told the Guardian newspaper.

"But given this is an ambitious target, and we don't know in detail how to limit greenhouse gas emissions to realise a 2C target, we should be prepared to adapt to 4C," said Watson, a former science adviser to President Clinton and ex-chief scientist at the World Bank.

In an interview with the Guardian, he said the UK should take active steps to prepare for dangerous climate change of perhaps 4C.

This contrasts with the EU, which is committed to limiting emissions globally so that temperatures do not rise more than 2C.

A 4C global average rise on pre-industrial levels is seen having potential catastrophic consequences. In the UK, the most significant impact would be rising sea levels and inland flooding.

According to the government's 2006 Stern review on the economics of climate change, between 7 million and 300 million more people would be affected by coastal flooding each year.

There would also be a 30-50 per cent reduction in water availability in Southern Africa and the Mediterranean, agricultural yields would decline 15 to 35 per cent in Africa and 20 to 50 per cent of animal and plant species would face extinction.