Good evening and Welcome to the Climate Change Wales website.

05.09.2010 | Cymraeg

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Storms

Wales faces an increased frequency of storms as a result of climate change
The road next to Newgale beach covered by pebbles after a storm

Wind Power

A commercial wind farm produces only 8g of carbon dioxide per kWh. In a good location a wind turbine will have produced the equivalent amount of energy used in its construction in just 3 months. More..

Solar Thermal

Hot water heating accounts for about 25% of domestic energy use. In the Welsh climate solar energy can be used to heat water for about 8 months of the year. More...

Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars use an electric motor to help the conventional engine move the car along. At slow speeds the car is moved only by the electric motor. This reduces emissions in built up areas considerably and reduces the fuel consumption of the car.

Impacts of Sea level Rise

The sea level along the Welsh coastline is rising about 1cm every year. The land mass of the UK is still adjusting after the last ice age. The western side of the UK is rising because it is no longer weighed down by heavy glaciers whilst the eastern side is falling. Scientists take this into account when working out sea level rise.

The Welsh coast has some of the biggest tidal ranges in the world. The moon is the dominant influence on tidal height. On large spring tides the sea can reach over 50 cm above the high water mark on maps.

lower town fishguards car park flooded on a spring tide

Storms can cause sea level rise. Storms hitting the Welsh coastline come from the west. They can push water up against the coast and large waves batter the shoreline. This can accelerate erosion and damage property. Large storms moving across the Atlantic can push the sea level up in front of them causing a storm surge. These can be as much as 4m above normal sea level. The Thames barrier was built to protect London from such surges.