A blistering new report has slated government efforts to protect Britons from climate change that is already flooding homes, farmland and railways, overheating hospitals and schools and fuelling wildfires.
Following deadly flooding in Valencia and furious wildfires in Los Angeles, the UK’s climate advisers have warned people and critical infrastructure are highly exposed to extreme weather due to a “piecemeal and disjointed approach”.
They warned progress in adapting to a hotter world has either been glacial, or moved in the wrong direction – amid fears of budget cuts in the upcoming spending review and spiralling problems in the water industry.
Of the 46 measures of government delivery – from protecting railways from collapsing to ensuring water and food security – not one was rated “good”.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) even said there has been “no change in addressing this risk” under the new Labour government – raising questions about its claims to be a climate leader.
The government says the issue is a top priority.
Baroness Brown, who chairs the CCC’s adaptation committee, told Sky News: “We know what climate change is doing now. We know worse is to come. And yet nobody seems to be taking this seriously enough.”
While Labour has made bold strides in trying to limit climate change, it’s done very little on helping us deal with the impacts, she said.
“It still seems to feel like it’s tomorrow’s problem… and if we don’t tackle it today, it becomes tomorrow’s disaster.”
The “Progress in adapting to climate change” report warns that by 2050:
- Over half of England’s top farmland, one in four homes and half of roads and rail lines will be at risk of flooding
- Heat-related deaths could pass 10,000 in an average year
- Unchecked climate change could cost 7% of GDP.
It said climate change is already hitting hard:
- Extreme heat buckles rail lines, fuels wildfires and drives up food bills
- Heatwaves wiped out a hospital data centre, cancelling appointments when the health service is “already on its knees”
- Children are toiling through exams in boiling school halls.
Outcry has been widespread
Farmers said it is “shocking how unprepared we are”, while businesses called it “sobering reading”.
Thinktanks said climate threats “should be considered national security risks” and scientists said getting it right “could save the UK billions of pounds”.
Obstetricians warned air pollution and heatwaves risk premature births.
But spending across government is tightly squeezed as the chancellor moots further cuts – with the budget for flood defences proposed for the chopping block.
The issue isn’t unique to the UK. Around the world, adapting to climate change has proved harder to get to grips with than measures to curb it. Scientists say both are needed.
But “this isn’t impossible,” said Baroness Brown, citing good examples in Canada, Germany and the Netherlands.
She said in some areas, the UK government doesn’t even know what it is aiming for, even though targets are “hugely important” for attracting private investment.
Bev Cornaby, director of the Corporate Leaders Group UK, said: “The private sector can deliver more, including innovation, investment and leadership, with clear goals, joined up policy and better communication and engagement from government.”
The CCC called for a raft of measures, from retrofitting hospitals with green roofs for cooling, to ensuring people know what to do in a heatwave such as closing windows and curtains in the morning.
A government spokesperson said they would carefully consider the findings of the committee’s report.
They added: “Alongside our transition to become a clean energy superpower and accelerating towards net zero, the government is taking robust action to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.
“We are investing a record £2.65bn to repair and build flood defences, protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses and helping local communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change such as overheating and drought.”
