The face of Sussex will change for ever within 50 years because of climate change, experts warn today.

The Bluebell Railway may have to be renamed and a shortage of Sussex cider is predicted in a new booklet.

Tomorrow's England looks at the extreme weather which is expected to hit the South East and predicts the possible effects.

Ed Pomfret, of the Woodland Trust, which is one of 11 charities behind the booklet, said: "This is very much a wake-up call to those people who perhaps have not taken the climate change messages seriously - a new approach that we hope will hit home.

"This is a valuable document which not only presents a snapshot of how that might affect everyday life in Sussex but also provides ideas for what we can do to make a real difference.

"The way it has been compiled is friendly but compelling.

"It's a message for every man, woman and child living and working in the county, highlighting the fact every one of us has the power to change things."

The booklet names landmarks such as Selsey Bill as among those we may lose to increased erosion.

Wetland habitats such as the Pevensey Levels and the Cuckmere Haven river estuary also could dry out, flood or disappear because of rising sea levels.

The wildfowl and wading birds which live in them would also be wiped out.

The effects are already being felt by some in the county, often in unexpected ways.

At Standen country house, near East Grinstead, historic furnishings and wallpaper designed by William Morris are being destroyed by silverfish and moths that the warmer winters are failing to kill off.

The Bluebell Railway, near Uckfield, may no longer live up to its name one day.

Trees are coming into leaf earlier in the year, giving spring flowers such as bluebells less time to gather the energy from the sun needed for flowering.

Though the warmer temperatures may initially bring some benefits, these will eventually be replaced by greater problems.

Producers of Sussex cider and perry could see bumper harvests for the next decade or so, but if winters become too warm the buds will not set, which could mean apple orchards become a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, water shortages could make it impossible to grow water-intensive plants such as berries. By 2070 the county is likely to be a skin cancer hotspot, with the climate similar to that in parts of Portugal.

The booklet, which is being funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states that any increase in the global average temperature above 2C will be catastrophic.

It argues that the world's wealthiest countries will have to cut their carbon emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050.

This is well beyond the Government's own target.

The Climate Change Bill, now going through Parliament, will commit the Government to cut emissions by only 60 per cent by 2050, although this is under review.

A copy of the booklet, supported by a coalition of charities, is available from www.climatechangeandme.net, together with key scientific reports on climate change. And read our environmental correspondent's comment piece about incinerators here

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