Well-Adapted UK: What the latest Climate Change Committee report tells us

The Event

The UK government has a legal obligation to assess climate risks every five years, and the CCC has a statutory requirement to give independent advice to government on those risks. The fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment Independent Assessment (CCRA4-IA) is due to be published on 20 May.

Also for the first time, the CCC is providing potential solutions to address these risks, setting out the climate risks, actions and enablers across 14 key and often overlapping systems in our society, including health, land, energy and the economy. This landmark report, called Well Adapted UK, will also be published on 20 May. 

The webinar will explore key findings from the report and will highlight the latest UK climate risk evidence from CCRA4-IA, discussing urgent priorities for adaptation across key systems including health, land, energy and infrastructure.

Background

The impacts of climate change are seriously undermining the UK’s prosperity and security. Not only are these being felt right now, but it has become inevitable that more extreme impacts will be felt in the very near future.  

The UK was not designed for the current, let alone future, climate. By 2050, summers in this country could feel like that of North Africa, with extreme dryness and heat causing ever increasing water shortages and drought. Heavier river flows will make dangerous flash flooding more common, sometimes with fatal consequences. More frequent and violent storms will degrade our coastlines and threaten coastal communities. It is clear that the UK must urgently and rapidly prepare and adapt.

Adaptation cannot wait. Taking action today is cheaper than taking action tomorrow. The Well Adapted UK report sets out clear recommendations for immediate action, which Dr Richard Millar and Dr Olivia Shears from the CC will explore in more detail at this webinar.#

Hosts

The webinar will be held jointly by colleagues at the MACC Hub, within which SWM is a partner, and the CCC.