'Day after tomorrow' map shows consequences of climate change

The apocalyptic map was launched by Government ministers at the opening of a new exhibition at the Science Museum.

'Prove it – everything you need to know to believe in climate change' is aimed at educating the public about the dangers of uncontrollable global warming.

The 'Day After Tomorrow' map shows what the world will look like if temperatures rise beyond four degrees C (7 degrees F). It was produced by the Met Office, that predicts temperature rises may reach the dangerous tipping point by 2060 unless more is done to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The map is designed to get the public behind a global deal on climate change to be agreed in Copenhagen this December. It will also be used by the Foreign Office to persuade other countries to sign up to a deal that will see all major economies forced to cut their emissions.

It shows the threat of global warming around the world. In the UK temperatures could rise above 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) in the summer, droughts will threaten crops in the South East, sea levels rises will affect coastal areas and floods will be commonplace in the winter.

The Government has recently been criticised for "scaremongering" the public in a £6 million advertising campaign that warns man-made climate change will risk the future of our children unless action is taken.

But Ed Miliband, the Environment and Climate Change Secretary, said it would be irresponsible for the Government not to be warning people of the consequences of climate change.

He said the UK had a "historic responsibility" to reduce emissions at home as well as campaign for a global deal and provide money to help poorer countries to adapt.

"From what the scientists are telling us, it would be irresponsible for ministers not to tell people about the dangers of climate change. If Government campaigns can persuade people to make changes in their own lives, become part of the campaign and be more knowledgeable about the problem we will have served our purpose."

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said climate change was not just an environmental issue, but a "human emergency" which would affect economics, culture, technology and foreign policy.

He warned of dangers of water shortages, drought and desertification which would reduce the available food for a rising population, increased migration with a further 200 million people on the move and increases in conflict as people fight for scarcer resources - such as water in the Middle East.

"The reason for publishing this map is that for many people, not only in our own country but around the world, the penny hasn't yet dropped that this climate change challenge is real, it's happening now," he said.

John Beddington, the Government's chief scientists, who was at the launch, said the map illustrates the urgency of keeping temperature rise below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) through a global agreement.

"This is disastrous if it happens. We have to meet that two degrees C target, it will not be easy but we have to do it."

The exhibition will include a tonne of coal that represents the "trillionth tonne" of carbon that will push the world into certain global warming if it is released into the atmosphere. The display will be maintained by the museum as a symbol of the success of limiting emissions for future generations or burned as a symbol of defeat if the world goes beyond such a tipping point.

Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the Science Museum, said the museum has a duty to inform the public.

"Climate change is real, driven by humans and potentially threatening – to our food and water supplies, to our health and to world security. We base this on scientific evidence. The underlying issue is the reliance of the modern, globalised world on ever-increasing quantities of energy, produced mainly by burning hydrocarbon-based fuels. The greenhouse gases released accumulate in the atmosphere, setting a limit on how much we can burn – a limit which is much less than the readily accessible reserves – so discipline is required, worldwide," he said.

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