Climate experts believe drastic sea level rises due to rapidly melting ice caps in Greenland will eventually leave large swathes of the UK underwater.
No matter what we do to curb global warming, at least 22 feet of global sea level rise has already been locked in, according to new predictions.
Other gloomier estimates suggest if we do nothing to reduce burning fossils fuels, sea levels could rise as much as 32 feet.
If these projections come to fruition, most of the south’s major cities are expected to be overwhelmed by water.
Many of London’s tallest landmarks – from Big Ben to the London Eye – would be partially submerged.
Boffins believe low-lying areas in Yorkshire, Norfolk and across the east of England would be particularly vulnerable to widespread submersion.
Climate scientist Edward Hanna, from University of Sheffield, told Daily Star Online global warming is to blame for Greenland’s melting ice sheets.
Research shows Greenland is one of the most rapidly warming regions in the world.
He said if present warming trends continue, sea level rises could cause “major impacts” in the UK within the next 100 century.
He said: “There is approximately seven metres of global-sea-level rise locked up in the Greenland ice sheet.
“Thankfully we'll only see a small part of this projected sea-level rise this century – probably no more than half a metre to a metre or so.
“But this is still likely to cause major impacts, especially in south-east England – where land is sinking – and during the so-called storm-surge events.”
Peter Langen, climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, told Daily Star Online the Greenland ice sheet is in danger of completely melting away.
This melt would cause global mean sea levels to rise by roughly 22 feet, he said.
However, he said “a complete melt-off would require the elevated temperatures to be sustained for several thousand years”.
He said: “A global warming of only 1-4 degrees C relative to pre-industrial conditions appears to be enough to cause such large-scale melting.
“And this level of warming is exactly where we are currently headed.”
There are concerns that the influx of cold water from Greenland’s melting ice caps is also driving climate chaos in Britain.
A study published in the International Journal of Climatology supports this theory.
High pressure sweeping across the region’s icy terrain is creating so-called “blocking systems”, trapping miserable weather over the UK.
Professor Hanna, who worked on the study, said the unusually wet summers of 2007 and 2012 were a result of these high pressure systems.
He said: “There is a possible link with North Atlantic polar jet stream changes, which directly affect weather patterns and extreme events over the British Isles.
“It's possible that enhanced warming in Greenland may raise air pressures over that region and, at times, decrease part of the energy available for driving the jet stream.
“This may cause the jet to sometimes meander north and south more and become slower-moving, which could increase the occurrence of severe weather events.”
It comes after a top flood prevention charity wanred that floods could send suicide rates soaring this winter.
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