Cheshire’s Lyme Park has been identified as one of the the sites where climate change could be felt most.

The National Trust have today released its “game changer” climate mapshowing the threat extreme heat, humidity and landslides will have on its most precious British properties and landscapes.

The map is based on a “worst-case scenario” of a failure to drive down carbon emissions over the coming decades, but is intended to be a flagging tool to highlight potential hazards surrounding a heritage or countryside site.

It has been drawn up to help the charity intervene to protect its sites, outlining the effect posed by climate impacts including rising heat and humidity, landslides, high winds, and floods, and how they could change by 2060.

“Unpredictable temperatures and volatile weather conditions are blistering some of the finest paintings in National Trust collections, bursting the banks of our rivers, increasing pests and diseases and eroding the coastline. ” says the trust

“The challenge may be large but so is the opportunity. We can lock up carbon in the wetlands we care for and create more space for wildlife to thrive. To do this we’ll plant millions of trees while continuing to champion renewable energy and slash carbon emissions. From our gardens to our coastal cliffs we’ll be changing how we do things, sharing inspiring stories along the way. ”

“People need nature now more than ever. If they connect with it then they look after it.” says Hilary McGrady, Director-General, National Trust

At Lyme Park in Cheshire, which was hit by a major flood in 2019, the team is undertaking tree planting on moorland to slow the flow of water and reduce flooding risks.

National Trust director for land and nature Harry Bowell said: “This map is a game changer in how we face the threat climate change poses to the places we care for.

“While the data draws on a worst-case scenario, the map paints a stark picture of what we have to prepare for. But by acting now, and working with nature, we can adapt to many of these risks.”

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