Climate change is already affecting the National Trust and will increasingly do so in the future.
While individual weather events cannot be directly blamed on climate change, such as the Boscastle flooding or a ‘mini tornado’ in the Lake District, there are various trends becoming apparent which are consistent with what the scientists and data tell us has been happening to our climate over recent years.
Many of our places to visit are already seeing evidence of a changing climate. With an expectation that – at least for the next 20 to 30 years – we can expect a trend towards hotter drier summers, milder wetter winters, very dry periods, more storms with heavy rainfall, and higher sea levels, how can we respond?
These stories and examples from around our properties illustrate some of the impacts. Our approach is to work with nature to adapt to new circumstances, but we don't always have the solutions:
Flooding and water damage
Over the last eight years, we have been forced to make over 400 separate insurance claims for flood or storm damage, worth over £3.2 million. As we don’t claim for many minor incidents, the real total of occurrences is much higher.
The never-ending growing season
Dramatic changes in the speed with which some plants grow, and longer, warmer growing seasons have very important implications for the National Trust. Some plant species may find it difficult in modern climatic conditions, whilst others can thrive. The trend towards a longer growing season is already starting to demand year-round mowing and lawn care, raising maintenance costs in large gardens.
Flooding and erosion along National Trust coastline
We are the UK’s largest owner of accessible coastline, caring for nearly 10 per cent of the coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With sea level rise of up to 0.86m predicted over the next 75 years, we forecast that 608km of our coastal holdings could be affected by erosion over the next century. Already, 126 of our coastal sites are at risk of flooding.
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