LONDON, April 22 (UPI) -- A government study released Thursday said that the cost of damage from flooding in Britain could rise dramatically over the next century.
The Foresight Flood and Coastal Defense Project study said the figure could be cut drastically if emissions of greenhouse gases were reduced, the BBC reported Thursday.
It also recommended higher spending on flood defenses and better planning.
The government's chief scientist, Sir David King, introduced the report looking at the potential costs of flooding and coastal erosion in Britain over the next 30 to 100 years as "the most wide-ranging analysis of future flood risk ever made in the U.K."
"The challenge of increased flood risk needs to be considered now," he said.
The report described the effects of climate change on coastal and riverside communities in the future, including the human cost to residents.
The study suggested that in the most extreme scenario, and with existing defenses, the damage could rise from about $1.8 billion a year now to $35 billion by 2080.
