Understanding the Impact of Climate Change on Inland Flood Risk in the UK

Flooding is one of the biggest environmental risks facing the United Kingdom. Floods have the potential to cause devastating impacts on livelihoods, the economy and natural ecosystems. Since the widespread floods in 2007, a number of high-profile events (Table 1) have repeatedly led to headlines about record breaking rainfall, the highest water levels on record and ‘unprecedented’ floods. Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in both the frequency and severity of flooding for some parts of the UK. In this briefing we explain these impacts and consider if we are already seeing evidence of this change.