Adapting to Climate Change in the UK
The UK will face more deaths, higher costs, and greater disruption in the infrastructure if preparations to adapt to climate change aren't taken now, the government's climate advisors have warned.?
Biodiversity loss, extreme heat, droughts, and power failure are among the serious risks the country faces this century from rising temperatures, which will grow more serious the longer action is delayed. Governments have been debating on how to tackle climate change but the truth is that climate change is already here and we need some serious planning on how to adapt to the changes in temperature, water cycles, and ecosystem services. It became clear, after the high temperatures reached during this summer in the UK, that the infrastructure is not able to cope with such changes.?
Analysing the risks, The Climate Change Committee found 61 ways in which the UK will be impacted by rising temperatures in the coming decades, with eight set to cost over ￡1 billion a year each by 2050. By 2045, the costs of climate change could reach around 1% of the UK's total economy, almost double the current size of the entire agricultural sector.?
Calling for preparations to begin immediately, the committee's report said, 'This new evidence shows that the gap between the level of risk we face and the level of adaptation underway has widened'. Adaptation action has failed to keep pace with the worsening reality of climate risk.?
'The UK has the capacity and the resources to respond effectively to these risks, yet it has not done so. Acting now will be cheaper than waiting to deal with the consequences. Government must lead that action.'?
Publishing the government's risk assessment, the climate adaptation minister Jo Churchill acknowledged their concerns, saying, 'The scale and severity of the challenge posed by climate change means we cannot tackle it overnight, and although we've made good progress in recent years there is clearly much more that we need to do.?
'By recognising the further progress that needs to be made, we're committing to significantly increasing our efforts and setting a path towards the third National Adaptation Programme which will set ambitious and robust policies to make sure we are resilient to climate change into the future.’
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by Lucía Radeljak
Source: https://www.theccc.org.uk/
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008.
Their purpose is to advise the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets and to report to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Their latest report on risks to health, wellbeing, and productivity from overheating in buildings: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/risks-to-health-wellbeing-and-productivity-from-overheating-in-buildings/