CCC adaptation report outlines ‘lost decade’ of progress

The March 2023 ‘Progress in adapting to climate change’ report examined the work done over the course of the second National Adaptation Programme – known as ‘Nat 2’ - which has been running since 2018. Assessments were made across a broad range of areas, such as water supply, food security, energy, transport, buildings, health, and finance.

Across a total of 45 different adaptation metrics, the CCC found that there was insufficient evidence that action in any of the 45 areas was ‘happening at the rates required to manage risks appropriately’. For around one-quarter of the metrics, no evidence of any progress was found.

According to the CCC, the National Adaptation Programme ‘fails to match the scale of the challenge now facing the country…lacks a clear vision…(and)is not underpinned by tangible outcomes or targets’. Furthermore, it has been found to have had little or no impact on government policy, despite the UK experiencing record temperatures, wildfires and infrastructure disruption across the summer of 2022.  

“The government’s lack of urgency on climate resilience is in sharp contrast to the recent experience of people in this country,” said Baroness Brown, chair of the Adaptation Committee. “People, nature and infrastructure face damaging impacts as climate change takes hold. These impacts will only intensify in the coming decades.”

The new report has been released ahead of the third National Adaptation Programme which is due to be published this summer. According to the NCC, ‘Nat 3’ will require a ‘step change’ in policy and action and is a ‘make-or-break moment’ for the UK to avoid another five years of stagnation as the climate crisis worsens.  

“This has been a lost decade in preparing for and adapting to the known risks that we face from climate change,” Baroness Brown continued. “Each month that passes without action locks in more damaging impacts and threatens the delivery of other key government objectives, including Net Zero. We have laid out a clear path for government to improve the country’s climate resilience. They must step up.”

Commenting on the CCC’s findings, Chris Richards, director of policy at the Institution of Civil Engineers said: “Today’s Climate Change Committee report is a stark warning to the UK government that it needs to make climate adaptation and resilience a policy priority now, before any more time is wasted. The current approach is not working – there are significant data gaps and few fully credible plans across many systems.

“As the UK continues the transition to net zero, more and more of the country’s infrastructure systems will rely on electricity. Without understanding how these systems depend on one another, we risk a single point of failure that would impact communication, transport, and vital services like being able to heat homes, schools, and hospitals.”