Climate groups, energy bodies and unions have urged ministers to act, after the Climate Change Committee warned the UK must invest faster in cooling, flood protection and water security as heat, flooding and drought threaten homes, workers, infrastructure and the economy.
Charles Wood, Deputy Director of Policy for Systems at Energy UK, said the energy sector already has “a long history of including climate adaptation measures when planning for new infrastructure”.
He said: “Extreme weather events make it more important than ever to consistently assess ways to increase resilience across electricity generation and network infrastructure, avoiding the most disruption in the long-term.”
Wood added that the report showed the range of solutions already available to protect the energy system, homes and businesses.
He said: “More than ever, the cost of inaction outweighs the cost of addressing climate change and its impacts on the UK.”
Ami McCarthy, Head of Policy at Greenpeace UK, said ministers should force polluters to help pay for climate action: “The government has the power to change course. New taxes on corporate polluters could raise billions for climate action at home and abroad, while fast-tracking the transition away from fossil fuel dependence.
“We say enough is enough: polluters must pay for the damage they have caused.”
Tom Fewins, Head of External Affairs at Aldersgate Group, said the CCC had identified critical risks to people, businesses and the UK’s economic security.
He warned businesses are already facing “a future where buildings become too hot to work in, transport infrastructure is disrupted by flooding and supply chains are increasingly exposed to water stress.”
Fewins said the risks are manageable but businesses need policy certainty and a clear government plan to make Britain fit for a changed climate.
Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect trade union, said adaptation now has to sit alongside decarbonisation.
She said: “The focus on workers is welcome. Our resilience depends on protecting the people who deliver the goods and services upon which we all depend.”
Ferns warned regulation alone will not be enough and said the government must deliver a “step-change in funding” for bodies such as the Health & Safety Executive so new rules can be enforced.
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