MUCH of Thurrock could be under water, while East Tilbury will become an island, if the worst fears of a climate change group materialise.

Climate Central is an independent organisation of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about the changing climate and its impact on the public.

Coinciding with this week's Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow Climate Central has announced its worst case scenario that shows significant at risk of rising sea levels and coastal flooding by 2030.

It's new online and interactive coastal map shows that global warming could result in significant seasonal flooding risk on the Thames and around the Thames estuary.

Climate Central says its predictions about sea level rise and coastal flood maps are based on peer-reviewed science.

However, it recognises it is far from an exact science and says the maps should be regarded as screening tools to identify places that may require deeper investigation of risk.

The organisation says: "Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well.

"However, the accuracy of these maps drops when assessing risks from extreme flood events. Our maps are not based on physical storm and flood simulations and do not take into account factors such as erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding, or contributions from rainfall or rivers."

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