[Independent] Extreme heatwaves will scorch the UK as rising sea levels swallow large expanses of the coastline within just a few decades, experts have warned.In the first major analysis of the nation’s changing climate for nearly a decade, government and Met Office scientists concluded that summer temperatures could shoot up by 5.4C by 2070 if fossil fuel pollution is not slashed.
Winters will also be considerably hotter, with average temperatures increasing by up to 4.2C.
The scientists outlined a far more extreme version of Britain’s climate in which this year's weeks-long heatwave becomes the norm while winter rainfall increases by more than a third.
Flooding will also be a major issue as sea levels around the country rise, and coastal communities will have to adapt rapidly or abandon homes to the rising tides.
Sea levels affecting London could rise by up to 1.15 metres by 2100 if climate-warming emissions continue to climb.
Even if emissions are cut in line with the Paris climate agreement to curb temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, sea levels could still be up to 70cm higher in the capital by 2100.
