UK ‘strikingly unprepared’ for effects of climate crisis: CCC
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The official climate advisor to the government predicts that the effects of climate change will undoubtedly worsen for decades to come.
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A flooded street in York, England, in January 2021 (Reuters)
Climate Change Committee (CCC) revealed that attempts to prepare for the effects of global warming have been "lost for a decade," and the UK is "strikingly unprepared" for them.
The official climate advisor to the government, the CCC, predicted that the effects of climate change will undoubtedly worsen for decades to come. It has frequently warned about inadequate planning and urged rapid governmental action to safeguard people, their homes, and their means of subsistence.
The extreme heatwave in 2022, when temperatures for the first time exceeded 40°C, served as both a warning and an example, as per the CCC.
At the height of the heatwave, 20% of hospital operations were canceled, more than 3,000 people died prematurely, rail connections collapsed, wildfires raged, and farmers struggled with drought.
Chris Stark, chief executive of the CCC, stated that "it won't be long before those kinds of extremely hot summers are a routine summer."
Lack of action can be seen in the areas of heat-proofing dwellings, stopping water supply pipe leaks, preparing for flash floods, and importing less food and other goods from countries that have been impacted by climate change.
Julia King, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee, said, “The last decade has been a lost decade in terms of preparing for the risks we already have and those that we know are coming.”
She further acknowledged that a recent IPCC report demonstrated that the effects of climate change are occurring more quickly and severely than anticipated and that the world's temperature will continue to rise until carbon emissions reach net zero, a goal that many nations have set for 2050.
The lack of reporting by large food corporations on climate threats to their supply chains was emphasized by the CCC evaluation. According to the CCC, the UK imports nearly half of its food, and recent shortages of imported vegetables have highlighted the country's susceptibility to weather-related effects.
