The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has warned that without urgent action to prepare for worsening climate impacts, Wales risks being left dangerously exposed to future floods, heatwaves and coastal erosion.
Its new report, A Perfect Storm, asks whether Wales is doing enough to coordinate action and engage communities in adapting infrastructure to a changing climate.
While political focus on cutting emissions is strong, NICW says adaptation has lagged. Ageing assets, inconsistent planning, short funding cycles and weak coordination leave communities and critical services at risk.
Rooted in real places, the report was shaped through engagement across Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Powys and a flagship pilot in Grangetown, Cardiff, one of Wales’s most diverse neighbourhoods.
Over seven months, NICW worked with the School of International Futures and local partners to trial participatory methods that gave residents a stronger voice in resilience decisions.
The process showed that fairness, co-design and inclusivity must be central to adaptation, and proposes a shared hub — a “Futures Academy” — to scale these approaches nationwide.
NICW puts forward 12 recommendations for immediate consideration, including a Climate Adaptation Act with legally binding resilience targets, a Chief Participation Officer by 2028 to coordinate engagement, embedding climate risk into planning and investment, aligning funding through a dedicated Climate Adaptation Fund, and establishing a Climate Futures Hub to share data, tools and lessons across sectors.
NICW stresses that government cannot deliver adaptation alone.
Communities, businesses and local authorities must work together to safeguard homes, jobs and nature over the long term, building on Wales’s Future Generations Act and its recognition of the nature and climate emergencies.
Steve Brooks, Lead NICW Commissioner, said: “The science is clear. Yesterday’s infrastructure will not withstand tomorrow’s climate. We need urgent action now — embedding adaptation into planning, strengthening engagement, and building public confidence.”
Helen Armstrong, Lead NICW Commissioner, added: “This is a wake-up call. Extreme weather is already locked in. Acting now will be far less costly and far more effective than waiting until it’s too late.”
‘Perfect storm’ for Wales unless climate action involves communities appeared first on Energy Live News.