Weatherwatch: Hadley Centre shows Thatcher understood value of climate science
When Margaret Thatcher opened the Hadley Centre for Climate Change in 1990 journalists suggested she was attempting to appear to be doing something about global heating rather than implementing any policies.
Fast-forward 35 years and the Hadley Centre’s science is world-leading and
makes the claim that for every £1 invested, the UK economy benefits by £33
. This calculation is based on the predictions scientists are able to make, and advice they can then give about incoming weather and its impacts.This enables farmers, government and industry to prepare. The advice covers everything from medium-term seasonal forecasts to predictions about what new food crops we might grow, where flood defences need to be and the need for greater structural strength in buildings and bridges.
When extreme weather events do occur, scientists then calculate how much more likely they were to happen because of
human-induced climate breakdown
. This enables them to forecast how soon they are likely to recur and what needs to be done and when to prevent further expensive damage.Thatcher, who prided herself on being a scientist and one of the first politicians to see the dangers of climate change, was perhaps being underestimated. Unlike the current American administration, she understood the value for money that science provides.