Weather extremes the 'new normal' says National Trust
The conservation charity warns that more needs to be done to protect nature
Last updated 28th Dec 2022
This year's extreme weather of storms, drought and recording breaking heat is set to become the norm.
According to the National Trust, without more action to tackle climate change, 2022 is a "stark" warning for the UK.
At the start of the year we experienced a warm January, before back to back storms in February. Then a dry spring, with summer seeing temperatures above 40C. To finish it all off there was a freezing snap in December.
Alongside this wildlife suffered. For example, we saw the worst bout of avian flu in the UK, with thousands of seabirds dying off the coast of Northumberland.
National Trust recognises their were some positives, such as good apple crops. But the bad outweighed the good.
The hot summer saw low rainfall dry up rivers, streams and ponds, damaging crops and natural habitats. It also led to wildfires that destroyed landscapes, including Zennor Head, Cornwall, Bolberry Down in south Devon, Baggy Point in north Devon and Studland in Dorset (all under the protection of the National Trust).
Keith Jones, climate change adviser at the National Trust, said: "There is no escaping that this year's weather has been challenging for nature.
"Drought, high temperatures, back-to-back storms, unseasonal heat, the recent cold snap and floods means nature, like us, is having to cope with a new litany of weather extremes.
"It is a stark illustration of the sort of difficulties many of our species will face if we don't do more to mitigate rising temperatures and helping nature's survival."
He added: "Weather experts predict that the future will see more torrential downpours, along with very dry and hot summers, with 2022 setting a benchmark for what a 'typical' year for weather could be like.
"But the 'new normal' is also likely to result in even more extreme weather events than now."
The National Trust say conservation work to improve habitat is making the environment and species more resilient to the changes brought by rising temperatures.
At Holnicote in Somerset, beavers have been introduced to an enclosure to engineer a wet woodland habitat with higher water levels, that supports other species, and maintains a rich landscape through the summer drought.