Act now or pay later on climate adaptation  – Inside track

The impacts of climate change tend to grab headlines when extreme weather events hit around the world. In recent weeks, we have seen temperatures reach the high 40s in parts of India and Pakistan whilst severe storms and flooding have swept through Northern Italy.  

Some may be forgiven for thinking the UK is spared the worst of climate change. But while the impacts may be less extreme, they are becoming an increasingly significant part of our daily lives. Take 2024, a relatively mild year by recent standards, yet with 1,311 heat related deaths in England alone. In 2022, that number was almost three times higher.  

Today, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its biannual report on the UK’s progress in adapting to climate change. As expected, it paints a bleak picture of successive governments’ limited progress on the issue. 

Climate change and extreme weather are reshaping our lives
The effects of climate change are here. Businesses are grappling with productivity losses. Farmers are dealing with more rain during some parts of the year and less at others. And the global impacts are felt in all of our pockets. Surges in olive oil prices, for example, are largely driven by climate impacts. Extreme weather has disrupted vital infrastructure again and again over recent years including roads, runways and energy, and over 6 million homes in England alone are under threat from flooding.  

As temperatures increase, many of these impacts will worsen over time. The UK Health Security Agency warn that over 10,000 heat related deaths may occur by 2050 under a high warming scenario without adequate adaptation. Sea levels are set to rise long into the future and we’re going to experience increased rainfall in winter heightening the risk of flash flooding, all while our summers become drier.  

Clearly, we are at a stage now where we cannot choose between climate mitigation or adaptation. Both must be pursued, and with urgency.  

Adaption efforts are being outpaced by the climate crisis
In the face of these challenges, you’d expect adaptation to be at the heart of the government’s agenda. But if there is one takeaway from the CCC’s report it is this: the UK’s preparations for climate change are woefully inadequate. 

The UK’s third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) has failed to create meaningful change in adaptation policy since it was published two years ago. Not a single area of delivery, the CCC notes, is “good”. Therefore, every action we are taking currently stands as “partial”, “limited”, “insufficient” or “unable to evaluate”. In fact, a lack of data is a problem across the board. Many actions do not have metrics, targets or a clear timeframe for delivery, making a meaningful judgment of their effectiveness difficult. 

When it comes to new policy plans things are a little better but progress across telecommunications, transport, buildings, community preparedness, business and finance is incremental at best. And crucially, plans are a statement of intent. If they are not properly implemented, then they are essentially meaningless.  

This should be the wakeup call for urgent action
Like our need to cut emissions and restore nature, the best time to act on adaptation is now.  

The CCC recognises that there are important moments coming up and the government can seize them. The multi-year spending review, due in the summer, will be a crucial time for adaptation with the allocation of departmental budgets. Green Alliance, with the help of our business-led adaptation task force, is calling for the protection and extension of the government’s funding commitment on flooding protection, currently just over £1.3 billion per year for the rest of the review period.  

But beyond a commitment on funding, we need to reassess how successful the balance of infrastructure spending is. There is an opportunity to make funding go further, and to help restore nature, by shifting spending towards nature based solutions that work with, rather than against, nature to reduce flood risk.  

On overheating, we need to urgently embed a passive cooling approach, which makes the most of building design rather than relying on mechanical cooling. This must be at the heart of any government retrofit plan, including its Warm Homes Plan, despite its unfortunate naming in this context.  

Investing in adaptation benefits us all in the long run
It’s understandable that some agendas are lower down the pecking order when it comes to government priorities. Economic and geopolitical instability, the housing crisis, stagnant living standards and the crucial drive to net zero are all huge challenges which must be addressed.

But adapting to climate change can boost many of these agendas. It’s about investing now to save in the long run, making homes more comfortable to live in, cutting bills, restoring nature and building resilience across vulnerable groups in society. All priorities this government claims to champion.

To prove itself, the government could act now, ensuring this parliament is the step change we all need on adaptation.