The UK government has made only limited headway in preparing the country for the increasing risks posed by rising temperatures, according to a warning from its official climate adviser.
In a sharply critical assessment, the independent Climate Change Committee reports that progress is “either too slow, has stalled, or is moving in the wrong direction.”
The Committee cautions that inadequate action across sectors—from healthcare facilities and care homes to essential food and water systems—could expose the UK to serious economic and health consequences in coming decades.
In response, the government highlighted its investment in flood defences, while admitting further effort is required.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy told BBC News that tackling climate adaptation is “something we are strongly committed to.”
“We are allocating £2.65bn to upgrade, maintain, and construct new flood defences.
“But we are fully aware that much more remains to be done.”
Driven by climate change, the UK is witnessing intensifying weather extremes, ranging from the 40°C heat of July 2022 to the wettest 18 months on record in England between October 2022 and March 2024.
Such events are expected to grow in severity and frequency as global temperatures climb due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Enhanced preparation has the potential to reduce impacts and increase national resilience, but the CCC finds progress falls far short of what is needed.
“We are witnessing climate impacts that are faster and more intense, yet government action appears insufficient,” Baroness Brown, chair of the Adaptation Committee at the CCC, told BBC News.
She said, “The government’s manifesto promised to address resilience, but so far, we have seen no tangible action.”
“We have heard encouraging rhetoric… but no concrete measures yet,” Brown observed.
None of the 46 sectors assessed by the CCC were deemed to be making “good” progress on climate adaptation, and only three have “good” future plans and policies in place.
These findings show little change compared with the CCC’s previous report in 2023.
Public health remains one of the areas least prepared for climate impacts.
The CCC highlights an increase in deaths related to extreme heat and notes that hospitals are themselves vulnerable during heatwaves.
Baroness Brown cited the example of Guy’s and St Thomas’—London’s largest hospital trust—which suffered a data centre failure during the July 2022 heatwave.
Appointments systems failed at a time of high demand, forcing a switch to paper bookings.
“Thousands of vital appointments for critical tests were lost,” Brown said.
“Efforts to improve the NHS must consider climate resilience, or our progress will be reversed.”
Flooding continues to be a significant concern, with CCC finding that strategies to build resilience against river and coastal floods have deteriorated since the previous report.
The historic town of Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire illustrates this challenge, having experienced repeated flooding over the last four years, most recently in November 2024.
Polly Pearce described the rapid flooding of her charity shop.
“It was incredibly sudden, like a tsunami,” Pearce recounted.
“The water rose as high as the wall panelling. We lost all our Christmas stock.”
Vacant shopfronts line the high street, with many reportedly forced to close by flooding costs.
Business owners say insurance is either unattainable or prohibitively expensive due to premiums following recurrent floods.
The Environment Agency states it cannot meet the £25m-£30m cost needed to deliver flood protection for the area.
The government affirms its commitment to supporting residents, and efforts to enhance property flood resilience are scheduled to begin this summer.
The CCC does note advances in certain aspects of adaptation, such as initiatives to assess risks to businesses and financial services.
Central to the debate, however, is the issue of funding.
Delaying investment in climate preparedness to cut costs would be “a grave error,” potentially exacerbating longer-term economic harm, Baroness Brown cautioned.
“We are deeply concerned about the government’s spending review,” she said, in a notably strong statement from the Committee.
“This is not a future problem; it’s an immediate challenge. Failing to act now could lead to catastrophe tomorrow.”
A BBC Freedom of Information request revealed that only 18 staff work exclusively on climate adaptation at the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).
This represents just 0.3% of nearly 6,600 full-time staff at Defra.
Defra clarified that some staff also contribute to adaptation work on a part-time basis and that these figures exclude employees in other departments.
Additional reporting by Miho Tanaka
Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter for the latest updates on climate and environmental news from BBC’s Justin Rowlatt. Based outside the UK? Subscribe to our international newsletter here.
More than 20 locations may see charging points installed from the summer as part of Kirklees Council’s proposal.
Just 78mm (3in) of rainfall was recorded across the region in February, March, and April—its lowest total since 1938.
Tourism businesses across Wales could access up to £20,000 in grants from the government to boost “weather-proofing” measures.
A new satellite will have capabilities to see through clouds and dense forest canopies.
Tips on how to safeguard yourself from UV radiation.