CCC: UK has failed to adapt to climate change

The UK has fallen behind on adapting to climate change and the gap between the level of risk faced and mitigation efforts underway has widened alarmingly, according to the latest report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

In its third independent assessment, the CCC said despite having capacity and resources to respond effectively to risks, the UK has failed to do so. It urged government to take action now or face greater expense in the future.

Its report identified 61 risks and opportunities fundamental to the natural environment, health, homes, essential infrastructure, and the economy. The CCC highlighted eight risk areas that need urgent attention in the next two years:

• Risks to the viability and diversity of terrestrial and freshwater habitats and species from multiple hazards
• Risks to soil health from increased flooding and drought
• Risks to natural carbon stores and sequestration from multiple hazards, leading to increased emissions
• Risks to crops, livestock and commercial trees from multiple climate hazards
• Risks to supply of food, goods and vital services due to climate-related collapse of supply chains and distribution networks
• Risks to people and the economy from climate-related failure of the power system
• Risks to human health, wellbeing and productivity from increased exposure to heat in homes and other buildings
• Multiple risks to the UK from climate change impacts overseas

Baroness Brown, chair of the adaptation committee said: “The severity of the risks we face must not be underestimated. These risks will not disappear as the world moves to net zero; many of them are already locked in. By better understanding and preparing for the coming changes, the UK can prosper, protecting its people, its economy, and its natural environment. A detailed, effective action plan that prepares the UK for climate change is now essential and needed urgently.”

She called adaptation the “Cinderella of climate change, still sitting in rags by the stove” but without it the nation would struggle to deliver net zero, among other societal goals.

“We cannot rely on nature to sequester carbon unless we ensure that our peat, our trees and our wetlands are healthy, not only today but under the climatic conditions we will experience in the future.”

Additional adaptation has been advised by the CCC to keep pace with the worsening reality of climate risk. Its new evidence shows 56 per cent of the 61 risks and opportunities were ranked with the highest urgency, compared to 36 per cent for the last assessment in 2016. The magnitude of risks is also increasing faster than previous assessment in 2012 of what would happen this decade.

The report underlined that acting now will be cheaper than waiting to deal with the consequences and urged government to lead that action. Without doing more to adapt, the CCC said costs related to the impacts of climate change would triple by the 2080s from the current billions of pounds each year.

The CCC strongly recommended the government, Ofgem and the energy sector should work together to review the approach to electricity system design and its risk management.

Threats of climate-related failure of the power system were noted in the report as a result of flooding, water shortages, increased temperatures and wildfire, sea level rise and potential increases in storms, swells and wave heights.

The CCC said despite plans in place by the sector to adapt to rising temperatures, it would still be vulnerable to weather-related problems. It predicted these would become more common and damaging as dependence on electricity grows.

These risks can be managed but the CCC highlighted it as an urgent issue as investment in generation and distribution of electricity is set to grow in the next 10 years.

The CCC published its sixth carbon budget in December in which it recommended accelerating previous emissions reduction targets. In 2019 it last reported on adaptation that showed the UK was not prepared for a 2 degree rise in global temperature, let alone more extreme warming.