Wet weather in April slows economic growth
Autumn and winter storm rainfall in the UK and Ireland was made about 20% heavier by human-caused climate change.
By Tom Lancaster
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Commenting on GDP figures which show that wet weather in April slowed economic growth, Tom Lancaster, Land, Food and Farming Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:
The economy stagnating in April due to the continued wet weather comes after scientists warned that the rainfall this winter was made 20% heavier by climate change [1]. Farmers have already borne the brunt of this, with harvests projected to be down by a fifth [2], costing farmers around a billion pounds [3].
"From our fields to our high streets and building sites, extreme weather and climate change are having an impact on our prosperity now. Reaching net zero target is the only way these impacts don't continue to worsen in the future."
Notes to editors:
1. Autumn and winter storm rainfall in the UK and Ireland was made about 20% heavier by human-caused climate change: https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/autumn-and-winter-storms-over-uk-and-ireland-are-becoming-wetter-due-to-climate-change/
2. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2024/uk-food-security-winter-washout-could-cut-harvests-by-a-fifth
3. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2024/farmers-count-costs-of-climate-change-as-wet-winter-knocks-nearly-a-billion-pounds-off-revenues
For more information or for interview requests:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: +44 (0)7894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net