London broil? The UK's capital prepares for rising tides and temperatures

London already has a barrier in place to seal the River Thames from the sea in time of need, and it is now launching a multibillion-pound project to augment the barrier against the higher tides that the UK government believes warmer weather will hurl against the city. In the 1970s, London commissioned the Thames Barrier, an underwater gate that stretches 520 meters across the River Thames, in east London. When rotated to the vertical plane, they rise above the waterline to form a seamless wall strong enough to resist tidal surges, even those aided by an onshore wind, from pushing sea-water upstream. The environment agency considers sewage spills so serious that it is contemplating construction of a tunnel underneath the Thames to cope with future overflow. The tunnel would normally be kept dry after a flood, water would be pumped out to a sewage treatment center. The problem of heat exhaustion among commuters is so serious that anyone who can come up with a reasonable cheap way to air-condition the network will get a reward from the mayor.