Are you ready for it…?
Climate Change Committee publishes report “A well adapted UK”
As we prepare to enjoy summer weather over the bank holiday weekend with temperatures forecast to reach 30C in southern England on Monday, it’s tempting to pass this off as another welcome chance to enjoy cold drinks and a BBQ with friends. We suffer from long, grey, wet winters in the UK and I’m the first one to get the shorts on and the bottle of rosé in the fridge the minute the mercury looks set to soar… However, I know that there is a sinister side to the heatwaves we now experience. And it’s the most deprived and vulnerable groups of society that will fare the worst.
Just last week we had torrential rain and thunderstorms followed by warm, strong winds, which was preceded by a bone dry April, but before that, a very wet winter. Global events including wildfires, flash flooding and droughts are yet more evidence that our climate is becoming increasingly turbulent. Deaths from heat stress are real. Malnutrition from failed harvest is real. Loss of property and the cost of re-housing and rebuilding is real. This has a direct impact on human health and all aspects of our economy and society. It’s not about being green.
We know now that average global temperatures are at 1.4C above pre-industrial levels – a mere rounding error from the 1.5C limit of the Paris agreement reached 10 years ago. It is timely then, that the Climate Change Committee has just published its report “A Well Adapted UK” - the Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk (CCRA4-IA).
I took a deep breath before reading it, conscious that it was probably fuel to the fire of my climate anxiety, particularly being a mother of two and working in sustainability and environmental consulting. I was pleasantly surprised therefore, to find messages of hope. There is still a chance that the world can act to limit warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels but the UK is not prepared for that, let alone the 4C increase, which is still possible. And remember, that’s a global average but Europe is warming more rapidly than that.
The CCC acknowledges the systemic risks and because of that, joined up action is required – across Government departments, public and private sectors, geographic regions and topics. Healthcare, housing, infrastructure, agriculture, industry and finance. Clear targets, roles and responsibilities, funding, regulation, governance and monitoring are all required. We all have a part to play and so far, we have been too slow to embed resilience. Despite the warning in the 2021 report, the UK is still underprepared for the climate change that is happening and will continue to happen, regardless of emissions reductions. The good news is we know what needs to be done. Adaptation measures are tried, tested and affordable if we act early and the report provides a clear investment case. The CCC estimates that sufficient adaptation will require £11 billion of investment per year. Not pocket money! Yet, the potential return on investment is potentially tens of billions per year. The CCC reports that climate damages are already costing billions annually and could rise sharply without action.
Climate change threatens:
Economic growth
Public health
Infrastructure reliability
National security
With stakes this high, we should not even need a business case. I’ve written before on the financial sector pivoting to sustainable investment and that a leap of faith is needed without perfect data analysis. Surely with all the evidence on the impacts, now is the time for all of us to hold hands and make that leap. Are you ready for it?