IT IS safe to say Saturday's storm caused carnage across Brighton and Hove.

Benches were littered across the promenade and the Palace Pier shook as high winds battered the city.

Though it may have seemed like a freak event at the time, the truth is that this type of weather could become all too regular as climate change sets in.

It is proven that global warming increases the likelihood of floods, droughts, and storms across the globe.

As an island, Britain can already have some extreme weather. As a coastal city, Brighton often bears the brunt of it.

So we can look forward to plenty more of this kind of weather as climate change sets in.

There is a reason flood defences are being built in Arundel, Shoreham, and Newhaven. As storms become more likely, these types of defences will become necessary across Sussex.

And then there is sea level rise to deal with. Scientists from the University of Brighton have already spoken about the chance of the Seven Sisters cliffs collapsing as they are weakened by rising sea levels and cracks created by drought.

This can all sound rather depressing because it is. Climate change has already set to work across the world, but its real influence in the UK has barely been felt.

But that does not mean there is nothing that can be done to fight the potential impact of climate change. The youth climate strikers have led the way in that regard by lobbying the Government to take climate change seriously.

It is clear there is too much at stake to ignore.