Summary of evidence: Climate change
This summary sets out Natural England’s assessment of the evidence relating to climate change. It provides a statement of the current evidence base, presenting:
- what we know (with supporting data and key references);
- areas that are subject to active research and debate; and
- what we do not yet know from the evidence base.
It also lists current Natural England research projects and key external research programmes to show how we are seeking to fill gaps.
This summary forms part of a suite of summaries covering all of Natural England’s remit. The summaries are not systematic reviews, but enable us to identify areas where the evidence is absent, or complex, conflicting and/or contested. These summaries are for both internal and external use and will be regularly updated as new evidence emerges and more detailed reviews are completed.
| EIN005 edition 1 - Summary of evidence: Climate change, PDF, 154.6 KB |
Summary of evidence: Climate change - EIN005
RuSource/The Arthur Rank Centre gives a useful overview:
Climate warming is unequivocal – each decade since the 1970s has been warmer than the last.
In England there has been an increase in winter rainfall largely offset by drier summers. There is uncertainty in the magnitude and nature of projected climate change but for the UK there is greater uncertainty around changes to precipitation than temperature.
An altered climate will remain for centuries after net emissions cease. In the UK clear shifts in the northern limits of some mobile animal groups have been identified, as well as redistributions to higher altitudes but some species only have limited dispersal. Existing protected sites may be colonised preferentially by species spreading northwards.
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