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European cities including London face huge threat from flooding, droughts and heatwaves, experts warn

Paris was hit by flooding earlier this year: AP
Paris was hit by flooding earlier this year: AP

European cities including London face the biggest risk of flooding, droughts and heatwaves in history, climate change experts have warned.

Researchers from Newcastle University analysed changes in extreme weather for all European cities using climate models.

Looking at the impact by 2051-2100, the team came up with results for three possible futures they called the low, medium and high impact scenarios.

But even in the most optimistic scenario 85 per cent of UK cities with a river, including London, could expect an increase in river flooding.

The new study also found a worsening of heatwaves for all 571 cities and increasing drought conditions, particularly in southern Europe.

The British Isles face the worst overall flood projections, experts said (Getty Images)
The British Isles face the worst overall flood projections, experts said (Getty Images)

The British Isles had some of the worst overall flood projections, with Cork, Derry, Waterford, Wrexham, Carlisle and Glasgow predicted to be worst hit under the high impact scenario.

In the more optimistic, low impact, scenario Derry, Chester Carlisle, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Newcastle would be worst hit, researchers said.

Meanwhile, high impact drought predictions showed 98 per cent of European cities could see worse droughts in the future.

And cities in Southern Europe may experience droughts up to 14 times worse than today.

Dr Selma Guerreiro, lead author of the study, said: "Although southern European regions are adapted to cope with droughts, this level of change could be beyond breaking point.

"Furthermore, most cities have considerable changes in more than one hazard which highlights the substantial challenge cities face in managing climate risks."

Southern European cities saw the biggest increase in the number of heatwave days, and central European cities saw the greatest increase in temperature during heatwaves – ranging between 2C to 7C for the low scenario and 8C to 14C for the high scenario.

Rome could see the greatest increase in the number of heatwave days (AFP/Getty Images)
Rome could see the greatest increase in the number of heatwave days (AFP/Getty Images)

Co-author Professor Richard Dawson said: “The research highlights the urgent need to design and adapt our cities to cope with these future conditions.

“We are already seeing at first hand the implications of extreme weather events in our capital cities.

In Paris, the Seine rose more than four metres above its normal water level. And as Cape Town prepares for its taps to run dry, this analysis highlights that such climate events are feasible in European cities too.”

Published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the research found the European capitals worst hit by flooding would be Dublin, Helsinki, Riga, Vilnius and Zagreb.

Stockholm and Rome could see the greatest increase in number of heatwave days while Prague and Vienna could see the greatest increase in maximum temperatures during heatwaves.