The great tide: is Britain really equipped to cope with global warming? | Simon Parkin

As the Earth’s temperature continues to rise at an alarming rate, the country faces the threat of catastrophic floodingOn the day that London drowned, 16-year-old Shirley Orchard was serving customers bars of chocolate and packets of cigarettes at her father’s shop on Canvey Island. The town, which sits on the underbelly of Essex, where the North Sea becomes the River Thames, had been teased by bursts of showers and sunshine throughout the day. By dusk the clouds had squeezed themsel