The Climate Reality Project -- London

What can change in a day? Everything. On September 14, the world will focus its attention on the truth about the climate crisis. For 24 hours, we will all live in reality. Pick a faraway place or a city near you. Make it yours for one day. We’re hitting every time zone — but only once. 7 p.m. in your time zone. Choose a location and get involved.

London -- 

London has been called “the world in one city,” and with the summer 2012 Olympic Games, that has never been truer.

Today, more than 7 million people live in London proper, with 12.5 million in the Greater London metropolitan area. Often called the world’s financial center, London is a culturally diverse and multiethnic metropolis — the largest city in Europe.

Ironically, London is also considered to be one of the driest capital cities in the world. Its large population and low rainfall mean that the region actually has less water per person than many hotter, more arid countries. While climate change will likely bring heavier rainstorms to London, the total amount of rainfall in a year will also decrease, increasing the probability of drought during summer months.According to London’s own climate change preparedness plan, the city is vulnerable to flooding from the North Sea, the Thames River and heavy rainfall. The risk of flooding increases as sea level rises, tidal surges in the North Sea increase in height, and winter rainfall increases in volume and intensity. Peak river levels of the Thames and its tributaries are projected to rise by nearly a third in less than a decade — putting more than 1 million people and nearly half a million properties at risk.