Chichester under greater threat than ever from Climate Change
They say travel broadens the mind. During my life I have travelled the world and had wonderful holidays at Victoria falls last year and in Iceland recently. Climate change is already having profound effects. Victoria Falls has just 50% water flowing over it. Iceland had a record snow fall two weeks ago. Perversely, global warming means Iceland will get colder.
Here in Chichester the variable weather has meant that the plants in the garden have got very confused. Local Farmers are also reporting the weather pattern this year will mean poor yields of cereals and potatoes. Prices will inevitably go up yet again and even shortages. On a positive note, the wine harvest looks good.
Global warming and climate change is a worldwide problem and needs to be tackled by all nations and countries but there seems very little chance of a united approach with the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases; China , India and USA are not even taking part in the recent COP30 conference. Keir Starmer quietly rightly says consensus is gone. So, what has that got to do with Chichester? It is really bad news when coupled with the latest scientific data as will be revealed later.
First a brief summary of Global warming and climate change. It is a complex subject and not well understood. Currently the earth is going through a warming cycle but this is accelerating due to human activity adding greenhouse gases. These gases such as CO2 and methane in the atmosphere absorb and then radiate the heat from the sun and the planet warms up. 90% of the heat is absorbed by the oceans. This means sea levels increase, and the currents fluctuate in the oceans. These determine essentially the weather and climate. This climate change is already with us as recent records on temperature, rainfall and windspeeds are broken.
My first speech in the District Council back in 2003 was to warn about global warming and climate change. I had been in discussion with a senior miliary figure responsible for procuring military equipment. I asked him what he saw as the biggest challenge to the armed forces and I was surprised when he said climate change. He said that the military had to plan decades ahead to ensure they developed the right equipment. Most councillors at that time were in denial of climate change and it was not until 2019, a Climate Change Emergency was declared. However, the ability to do anything meaningful on a local scale has proved to be difficult given the enormity of the problem.
That first speech did high light one important feature in that climate change would manifest itself in a series of cataclysmic events. The record-breaking hurricane winds devastating Jamacia is a recent example. There has been a whole raft of disasters such as floods, drought, fires and avalanches. 2024 was also the third straight year with widespread glacier loss. 2024 and 2025 saw the biggest rises in global warming yet. More worrying is the arctic is warming three times faster. If the permafrost begins to melt there is the potential for the locked-up greenhouse gases to be released doubling the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The effect on global warming would be immense and the consequences very severe for mankind. The threat is not exaggerated.
Chichester, the harbour area, Selsey and the peninsular being low lying coastal areas are already predicted to be lost to the sea. It is just a matter of time. Chichester also lies on the delta of the Lavant river. Much of the water flows underground. If the sea level rise was a gradual increase, there might be time to look at sea defences or even a planned strategic retreat. All new house building south of the A27 should be stopped immediately.
The fact is climate change occurs as a series of cataclysmic events. In Chichester the combination of a high spring tide and a storm with high winds and rainfall would wreak havoc and make the floods of 1994 look insignificant in comparison. Recent evidence and the lack of progress to reducing greenhouse gases worldwide has put Chichester under greater threat.
Are we ready to tackle this? It is time for a renewed focus by MPs and Councillors on Climate Change and put in place emergency plans which would meet the scale of a major catastrophe.
I fear the opportunity to prevent the worst effects of global warming and climate change has now been lost through prevarication of our world leaders.
Richard Plowman
Mayor of Chichester 2005,2019,2020