UK not prepared for rising temperatures, warns CCC.

A new report by the Committee on Climate Change has warned that the UK Government is not prepared to deal with the climate crisis.

A month after the UK made it legally binding to be net zero by 2050, the CCC have released a report  stating that the UK is not prepared for a rise in temperatures.

The committee has called the UK Government’s action on climate change ‘insufficient’ and has said currently they are not prepared to meet less stringent targets, let alone the more ambitious 2050 net zero target.

Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee, said: “The UK is not ready for the impacts of climate change, even at the minimum expected level of global warming. The Government is not yet addressing adequately all of the climate risks it has itself identified as critical – including from surface water flooding and the impacts of high temperatures on health.”

In the report, the CCC has given some recommendations to ensure the net zero target is met.

The report focused on the importance of clear and stable policy which leaves room for businesses to innovate and find the most effective means of switching to low carbon technologies.

The report also touches upon the UK’s bid for COP26 and states they should use this to encourage increased effort to reduce emissions worldwide, including pushing for the adoption of similar world-leading targets by other developed countries in the EU and beyond.

In regards to the UK’s 2050 target, Lord Deben, CCC Chairman, said: “These are historic steps forward and position the UK at the forefront of the global low-carbon transition. But international ambition does not deliver domestic action. It’s time for the Government to show it takes its responsibilities seriously. Reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, requires real action by Government now.”

The report also lists the various benefits of the UK meeting the net zero target, including improvements to physical and mental health through increased green infrastructure, resilient homes with excellent indoor environmental quality, less noise thanks to quieter vehicles; more cycling and walking; and healthier diets.

Read the full report here.

        10 July 2019