We all know our climates are changing, but if the experts are too be believed it’s going to be very significant. For example it is reckoned that the United Kingdom in 2060 is going to have a climate very similar to Madeira.
The Portuguese island whcih lies off the coast of Morocco has a climate dominated by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a very hilly and mountainous North side and a very mild, dry South part of the Island. You could almost say that Madeira is already a smaller copy of the UK already.
It was farmers who first arrived from Portugal way back in the 15th century. Ther developed a complex farming system and started growing lots of different crops – including olives, oranges and sweet potatoes. The farmers use a series of irrigation systems to bring water from the very wet North of the island. The South of the island is continually short of water – again mirroring the problems in the UK. It is often said that we should be investing in an infrastructure capable of transporting water from North Wales and the Scottish Highlands to less wet areas of the country.
If you’re interested in this study then Tom Heap will be visiting the Island of Madeira in his series on Britain in 2060. He will be looking at what could happen to nature in the UK as well with the climatic changes that are forecast. the show will be broadcast on Radio 4 and the BBC Iplayer – if you have trouble accessing this due to your location (currently much of BBC Iplayer content is inaccessible outside the UK) then there are ways around it. This website shows you – how to use a UK proxy to bypass the country restrictions and watch anything you like from anywhere.
The producer of the show is the excellent Alasdair Cross who has produced some wonderful shows for radio.
Found another link with a video demonstration which is perhaps easier to follow on Youtube here.
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