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...