reddragon
Established Member
The growing Climate Emergency is making headline news around the world and WILL have a significant effect on our railway network.
Whilst we can Engineer out problems caused by more severe weather, with bigger culverts and better defences, there is little hope of winning against rising sea levels plus the bigger storms caused by higher global temperatures.
Already sea levels have risen 20 cm and were predicted to rise 0.5 to 1m by 2100, but now scientist have just changed that estimate to over 2 metres!! There is also a risk it could become significantly more, with 7-15 m being touted if we don't stop burning stuff!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48337629
This week I read of the first railway in the UK to be sacrificed to rising sea levels
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-who-could-be-britains-first-climate-refugees
And of course Fairbourne has a little railway, but not for much longer!
So which main line railway will be lost first? Dawlish; B&H across the Somerset levels or somewhere else?
Whilst we can Engineer out problems caused by more severe weather, with bigger culverts and better defences, there is little hope of winning against rising sea levels plus the bigger storms caused by higher global temperatures.
Already sea levels have risen 20 cm and were predicted to rise 0.5 to 1m by 2100, but now scientist have just changed that estimate to over 2 metres!! There is also a risk it could become significantly more, with 7-15 m being touted if we don't stop burning stuff!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48337629
.In the researchers' view, if emissions continue on the current trajectory then the world's seas would be very likely to rise by between 62cm and 238cm by 2100.
This week I read of the first railway in the UK to be sacrificed to rising sea levels
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-who-could-be-britains-first-climate-refugees
As sea levels rise, Fairbourne, sandwiched between mountains and the beach, is being returned to the waves. But where will its residents go?
And of course Fairbourne has a little railway, but not for much longer!
So which main line railway will be lost first? Dawlish; B&H across the Somerset levels or somewhere else?