Today (19 November) is Green Day, when Peterborough is officially launching its bid to become the UK's Environment Capital.

To mark this momentous event, we asked three experts on the environment and some young ecologists - to imagine what Peterborough could look like in 50 years time, if we all worked together to create an environmental heaven. Here we take a look at how things could go seriously wrong if we don't take action:

All of our experts' views are, as yet, the stuff of imagination, but there are some harsh realities which our city and the whole country could face if we don't tackle climate change.

Our contribution
Peterborough is responsible for creating more than 1.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. That's enough to fill the city's cathedral every two minutes.


For more on how you can do your bit for the environment, visit www.pect.net or www.greenenergyswitch.com.

More on PeterboroughToday.co.uk:
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Flooding in the city
Climate change could lead to storms, droughts, floods and extreme temperatures. The Environment Agency has produced a map which shows which areas of the city could be affected by serious flooding. It shows that land from The Wash, right up to the eastern edge of the city could end up under water, including March, Chatteris, Wisbech and Holbeach.

Our rural landscape
The area around Peterborough supports a thriving and diverse agricultural industry. If our climate becomes more extreme, farmers and growers will have to contend with severe weather and pesticide resistant insects.

The effect on our national economy
Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the Government Economic Service and adviser to the Government on the economics of climate change and development, has warned that the effects of warming could create an equivalent of the depression of the '20s. Stern produced a 700-page report on the effects of climate change on the economy for the British Government which stated that global warming will cost countries from five per cent to 20 per cent of their gross domestic product.

Extreme and unpredictable weather patterns
Global commentators warn that with more extreme weather patterns we can expect wildfires, drought, hurricanes, melting glaciers and flooding. Increased flooding in the UK has already devastated thousands of homes in the summer of 2007.

The poorest countries suffer the most
The most extreme shifts in weather are being felt in the world's poorest countries. Developing countries such as Bali are being hit hardest, despite the fact that they contribute very little to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Famine
Negative effects on agriculture are already leading to famine in the third world. Food production across the world is expected to worsen as the effects of climate change intensify.

Next page: Problems for trees