The government’s climate advisers have published a new report outlining the actions needed to ensure that the UK is prepared for the growing impacts of climate change.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) warned that the UK urgently needs to adapt to climate change and outlined the risks brought by a hotter, wetter climate, with climate resilience being important for food, energy and economic security.

The committee’s Well-adapted UK report found that, based on the current trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions, warming will reach around 1.5°C by the early 2030s and around 2°C by 2050. In such a scenario, heatwave temperatures would regularly exceed 40°C in large parts of the UK, with some of the hottest areas peaking at 43°C or higher. By 2050, 92% of homes will overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day, it said. 

With the three biggest risks being heat, flooding and drought, the report advised government to focus on three areas: better cooling, stronger flood protection and a more secure water supply. Its analysis also showed that the cost of inaction will outweigh the cost of acting now: adaptation will require around £11bn a year, but if nothing is put in place, public welfare could rise to between 1 and 5%  of UK GDP by 2050 – equivalent to £60-£260bn per year.  

Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Sub-committee, said: “Our lives, our landscapes and our homes are under increasing pressure from the changing climate. But we are not powerless. In an increasingly unstable world, being well adapted to climate change is fundamental to securing our food, energy and economic security.   

“This report carries a message of hope. The solutions already exist, and proven technologies are available now to help the UK adapt effectively. The public want to see change and the government now has an opportunity to step up and protect our way of life.” 

The report outlined adaptation measures that can be deployed immediately to tackle the highest priority risks brought by climate change, including:

• Keeping people cool in critical settings such as hospitals, schools and care homes, protecting those most vulnerable to heat-related risks. This means increased investment in cooling, including air conditioning, heat pumps and shade from trees.
• Managing flood risk through long‑term investment in measures such as flood defences, effective emergency responses and natural solutions such as wetlands. 
• Adapting infrastructure to avoid cascading disruption. Transport, energy and telecommunications systems should be designed and maintained to operate safely under future climate conditions, while government and regulators must take a more structured approach to managing dependencies between infrastructure systems to avoid widespread disruption. 

“The intent of this report is to kickstart the delivery of change,” said Baroness Brown. “We can learn from what has worked for reducing emissions in terms of clear targets and policies.

“We can protect patients and residents in overheated hospitals and care homes, children in nurseries and schools, and communities facing repeated flooding. We can support our farmers to maintain our food supplies. We can keep sports pitches usable, high streets open for business and iconic British music festivals running safely.” 

The CCC called on government to urgently create a fit-for-purpose national adaptation plan with clear targets to define what ‘well-adapted’ means for the UK, backed by delivery plans and sufficient resources. 

“With the right decisions, we can protect the people and the places we love,” said Baroness Brown. “So, the strong message is that decline is a choice, it’s a political choice, it’s not inevitable. We can do something about it.”

A summary of the report’s main messages can be viewed in the video below.