The effects of so-called greenhouse gas emissions will not be felt in these parts until the 2040s, according to new research by British scientists.
However, by the end of the century average temperatures could rise by as much seven degrees Celsius if high levels of fossil-fuel usage continues, the research published in the current edition of Naturemagazine says.
Scientists Dr Peter Stott and Dr Jamie Kettleborough are engaged in ongoing work that aims to improve the accuracy of climate change predictions caused by global warming. Currently, scientist offer widely differing views on the extent and likely time-scale for significant change.
Their method is to observe weather trends over the past 100 years and compare them to predictions for the remainder of this century. "We have produced a range of possible climate forecasts which, unlike a single prediction, reflects uncertainties in how climate models represent such atmospheric processes as clouds," Dr Stott said.
The work, sponsored by the British enviroment ministry and the Met Office is of importance both globally and locally.
Dr Stott said: "There is a pressing need to apply these probability predictions of global change at a regional level, where they are vital in planning measures to deal with the consequences of climate change, such as building bigger flood defences."