Within 30 years, Britain could be devastated by scorching heat, floods and food shortages – according to a climate change ‘doomsday’ scenario.
Britain will face temperatures of up to 48 degrees Centigrade – and land will be ruined for farming, as demand for water outstrips supply.
Experts warn food shortages could also occur while wars and migration caused by climate change could also disrupt trade.
The findings, published in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017, are the work of 8 UK climate experts who predict temperatures well into the 40 Centigrade-plus bracket (104F).
Scorching summers such as that of 2003, when temperatures peaked at 38.5C, will become the norm by the 2040s, as the number of heat-related deaths treble.
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They predict London could sizzle in temperatures of 48C (118.4F), with the rest of the country in the high 30s.
And by the 2050s, demand for water will outstrip supply 2.5 times in some parts of the country.
Flooding already costs the UK £1 billion of damage each year, but in just 35 years, the number
of households at risk of flooding will more than double to 1.9 million.
The authors say food prices will rocket as extreme weather will destroy crops.
And droughts and floods will affect food imports, which makes up 40 per cent of what we buy in supermarkets.
Brits could be at risk of catching the Zika virus, as foreign species such as the disease’s carrier, the Asian tiger mosquito, are drawn to warmer temperatures.
The team of experts based their predictions on projected temperature rises.
One of the authors Professor Richard Bardgett, of the University of Manchester, said: ‘This report is based on the authoritative views of academics and reliable research.
‘It’s a matter of real urgency and it will affect us all in the future.’
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