Is YOUR home at risk? Study reveals UK regions most vulnerable to climate change
A new study has revealed the global regions most vulnerable to climate change-inflicted damage including flooding, extreme heat, forest fires and sea level rise. And it's bad news for many Britons, with both Lincolnshire and Greater featuring in the top 10 per cent. Wales, East Riding in Yorkshire and Somerset rank third, fourth and fifth respectively in the UK regions seen as most at risk. Britain's vulnerability to property damage is largely due to the high probability of river and coastal flooding thanks to rising sea levels. However, 16 of the top 20 states and provinces in the world which are most susceptible are in China. The list comes from Titled the 'XDI Gross Domestic Climate Risk', the list ranks regions by the total - or 'aggregated' - level of damage to their buildings But as well as using climate predictions, the analysts looked at past extreme weather events in each location. This allowed them to also be listed by the percentage The findings suggest that the risk for structures in Greater London in 2050 will be double what it was in 1990, largely due to the rising threat of coastal inundation. Some models also foresee the Thames Barrier being inadequate to protect the city from rising sea levels. Scotland's exposure to the sea means it sees the most significant increase in damage risk across multiple counties. Half of all Scottish counties are due to double their risk between 1990 and 2050, while the same is due for just a quarter of those in England. Inverness is predicted to experience the greatest increase in climate change-related damage in the whole of Europe, with a more than three-fold increase. Shetland, Ross and Cromarty, Argyll and Bute and Nairn also see large increases, as their flood risk correlates with sea level rise. When it comes to global countries by their aggregated damage risk, it is China, India and the USA which rank the highest. In fact, regions in the three countries make up more than 50 per cent of those in the top 100 most vulnerable. The most at-risk areas for each of them are Jiangsu for China, Bihar in India and Florida in the USA, but Punjab in Pakistan also makes the top 20. Areas from other developed countries which make the top 100 include Buenos Aires in Argentina, Sao Paolo in Brazil, Jakarta in Indonesia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. There are also a handful of European regions, including Lower Saxony in Germany, Flanders in Belgium and Veneto in Italy. Lakshadweep in India is predicted to experience the greatest escalation in level of building damage from extreme weather from 1990 to 2050. However, the continental region of South East Asia fairs the worst in this category compared to the others. XDI Systems also compared the states and provinces by 'average damage' - the proportion of their buildings that are at risk of damage - as well as aggregated. In this ranking, six Vietnamese regions made the top 10, but Bayelsa in India came first, potentially due to its large coastline and the Dodo river. Most of the climate change-related property damage across the world is predicted to be the result of coastal and river flooding. XDI notes that many of the most at-risk areas are home to high populations, and are also key players in the global economy. XDI CEO Rohan Hamden said: 'It is crucial for companies, governments and investors to understand the financial and economic implications of physical climate risk and weigh this risk in their decision-making before these costs escalate beyond financial tipping points.'