CCC: British way of life is under threat from heat, flooding and drought

The Climate Change Committee published its latest stock take of climate preparedness, painting a stark picture of floods, heat risks and possible water shortages in the UK – while emphasising how much can still be done to support, protect and prepare communities.

‘A Well-Adapted UK’ highlights that 92% of the country’s homes are likely to ‘overheat’ by the middle of the century – while peak river floods could be 45% higher, and water shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day. Inaction could cost anywhere between £60-£260 billion per year.

A citizens’ panel, published alongside this report, found that people people want to see adaptation happening now and for it to be done ‘properly’, with long-lasting preventative solutions that limit harm to no more than what is already being experienced.

The stocktake points towards a range of key policy measures needed to improve UK resilience to rising climate impacts, including:

• Greater investment in cooling – including air conditioning, heat pumps and green shading – across key public services, alongside  national maximum temperature for workplaces to protect workers’ safety.
• Increasing flood risk investment to around £1.6–£2.2 billion each year across the UK to prevent risks increasing further, and avoiding new construction where flood risks are not adequately reduced. 
• Taking substantial actions now to avoid water shortages, such as a strong regulatory focus on drought, scaling up sustainable water storage, accelerating leakage reduction and cutting water demand.