London: The United Kingdom is taking significant steps to map its climate change risks. The UK's Ordnance Survey is utilizing geographic coordinates to analyze and identify homes, transport routes, and infrastructure that may be at risk from bushfires, flooding, coastal erosion, and severe heatwaves.
According to Thai News Agency, Ordnance Survey emphasizes that combining data on topography, buildings, and population density will enable government and private sector agencies to accurately assess where natural disasters are expected to impact communities and critical services. The analysis reveals that more than 1.8 million homes in Great Britain are located within 100 meters of urban areas, which have experienced frequent wildfires due to proximity to forests and human activity.
The agency is also set to launch an urban heat island index to identify areas at high risk from heat. Drought conditions are contributing to soil depletion and subsidence, with the British Geological Survey estimating that this has cost the economy around £3 billion (approximately 130 billion baht) over the past decade.
Flooding remains a significant threat, with Ordnance Survey reporting that 7,564 kilometers of roads and 3,003 kilometers of railways in England pass through high-risk areas prone to river and sea flooding. Predictions from the Environment Agency suggest that around 6.3 million homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding, a figure that could rise to a quarter of all homes by 2050. Additionally, another 3,500 homes are at risk of coastal erosion by 2055.