It is alarming that not one of the warning lights published in this week’s UK climate change committee report on adaptation progress is green. All are flashing a bright amber or red, underscoring the urgency for the UK to address its growing climate risks. No wonder Camilla Hodgson says the UK government is “strikingly unprepared” for global warming (Report, March 29).
Research by the University of Oxford has shown that UK public expenditure on adaptation over recent years has been among the lowest in the G7, and even more concerning, there are signs that well over £100bn in public spending could actually be pushing in the wrong direction, undermining progress.
The government urgently needs to integrate climate adaptation across all public spending and policy, and set clear targets and standards for adaptation. The climate change committee should be tasked with monitoring this and assessing how current policies can work harder to mobilise adaptation action and finance across the economy, and where the gaps are. Programmes to support businesses, landholders and local authorities to adapt must be revived, investment in data as a public good boosted and the UK Infrastructure Bank mandated to drive investment in the resilience of our infrastructure.
The green finance strategy must also play its part. Today, only around 20 per cent of asset managers and around 35 per cent of asset owners report on physical climate risks. Reporting requirements must be enforced and standards for credible adaptation plans and resilience-linked financial products developed.
We welcome the announcement of the land, nature and adapted systems advisory group, which will advise on the definitions and role of adapted infrastructure and nature-based solutions in creating a resilient economy. Government and the private sector must work together to identify targets, gaps and opportunities to mobilise private investment, including nature-based solutions.
This process must begin with the shared understanding of what good looks like.
Emma Howard Boyd
Former Chair, Environment Agency Bristol, UK
Kathryn Brown
Director of Climate Change and Evidence, The Wildlife Trusts, Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
Ingrid Holmes
Chair, Green Technical Advisory Group, London EC1, UK
Nicola Ranger
Executive Director, Oxford Martin Systemic Resilience Programme, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK