Scientists today produced a detailed map of how climate change is expected to affect every part of the UK over the next century. Experts from the Met Office used sophisticated computer models to build up a picture of how temperature and rainfall are likely to change across 600 different locations.

Announcing the results, the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said global warming will affect "every aspect of our daily lives". The scientists say summer rainfall in south-east England could decrease by one-fifth by the 2050s. Average mean temperatures were likely to rise by more than 2C across the UK. If carbon emissions continue to rise, there is a 10% chance that temperatures in the south-east could rise by 8C or more by the 2080s.

The results are aimed at industries and organisations that need to make long-term investment decisions that could be influenced by a changing climate. They come as scientists urge politicians to focus on adapting to inevitable climate change alongside efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The new predictions follow a similar exercise in 2002, that produced maps of likely changes across Britain for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. They showed the UK faced drier, warmer summers and wetter, milder winters. Experts say the new results are more powerful, because they present the relative probabilities of a range of possible outcomes. They cover three different possible futures, in which carbon emissions are low, medium or high. Which path the world economy follows will depend heavily on how ambitious the global climate deal to be negotiated in Copenhagen in December turns out to be.

To produce the new predictions, the scientists ran 300 versions of their sophisticated climate computer model, and pooled the results to see which outcomes were most likely. The results cannot be used to predict specific weather on future dates, but they indicate broad trends.

Andy Brown, climate change and environmental performance manager with Anglian Water, said the results would help the company plan key infrastructure such as reservoirs. "The increased resolution and probabilities will help to give us more focus. The decisions won't be based purely on climate change projections, but they are a factor." The breakdown into small regions, just 25km across, will help too. "Rainfall can be very localised so it will help us make plans to deal with events."

Ahead of the publication of the results, green campaigners called for stronger action on emissions to avoid the damaging impacts the UK will face from climate change. Friends of the Earth executive director Andy Atkins said: "This valuable new research will highlight the damaging impact that climate change will have around the UK and show the need for urgent action to cut emissions. The UK government must take tougher action on climate change, and show real leadership by example ahead of crucial climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December."