Sputnik: What do you make of the warnings by Michael Gove?
Dave Reay: The comments were expected. He was commenting on the latest projections for the UK so the warnings he was given were based on that. We are already seeing the trends in the UK, more flood risks and if we carry on the current trajectory for the UK there will be more risks for all of us in terms of heatwave risks and flooding risks from sea level rises. It was good to see acknowledgement of that report and how important those projections are in terms of planning for future.
Sputnik: What impact could the extreme weathers he claims are imminent have?
Dave Reay: It could have a serious impact if you look at the latest projections we are looking at by the second half of the century by more than 5 degrees. That will make the 2018 summer as a hot one, something that was remarked upon, that will be every other year in terms of frequency under these projections. We can enjoy the heat and think it's nice but actually, it poses serious risk to health particularly the elderly and the young. It has an impact on our farmers as well, it impacts in terms of the high temperatures and lower rainfall and the risks we've seen becoming more serious. In terms of flooding where in the UK we've seen some devastating floods in the past.
Sputnik: What more needs to be done to improve the chances against climate change?
Dave Reay: We have cut emissions in the UK but the speed and the extent of it isn't compatibility with avoiding the kind of risks we've been talking about. We are all aware we need to make more radical cuts and that's where the criticism is coming from, we are not just going fast enough. We have an aim internationally but in terms of the UK to keep the global average warming to 0.5 degrees this century, but are current emissions targets are not compatible with that and unlikely to give us that.
The views expressed in this article are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.