Britain needs to immediately start preparing for a minimum 2-degree Celsius increase in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by the year 2050, according to climate advisors.
The country’s climate advisers released a statement on Wednesday emphasising that the nation is currently inadequately equipped to handle the severe weather events that are already becoming more frequent and intense, according to a Reuters report.
The advisers highlighted that existing infrastructure, public services, and emergency response mechanisms are not robust enough to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change, such as more extreme heatwaves, prolonged droughts, increased flooding, and stronger storms.
Warning signs
They stressed the critical need for comprehensive adaptation strategies, including investments in flood defenses, resilient housing, improved water management systems, and enhanced early warning systems.
Failure to act decisively, they cautioned, would lead to significant economic disruption, increased health risks, and a decline in overall societal well-being.
Britain endured its hottest summer on record this year, leading to significant repercussions across various sectors.
The unprecedented heatwave severely affected public health, while the agricultural sector grappled with widespread crop failures and livestock stress.
Critical infrastructure also suffered, with transportation networks and energy supplies facing disruptions.
Several regions declared droughts, highlighting the severe water shortages and ecological strain caused by the extreme temperatures. This summer underscored the increasing vulnerability of the UK to climate change impacts.
In response to an environment minister’s request for advice, the Climate Change Committee sent a letter to the government, stating:
It is clear we are not yet adapted for the changes in weather and climate that we are living with today, let alone those that are expected over coming decades.
Six crucial climate action
The CCC identified six crucial areas for climate action: strengthening public health systems to cope with climate-related illnesses, ensuring food security amidst changing agricultural conditions, building resilient infrastructure to withstand extreme weather, protecting urban areas from climate disruption, maintaining essential public services, and fostering economic growth that is both sustainable and climate-resilient.
The 2015 Paris Agreement saw most governments commit to limiting the average global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
This ambitious goal aims to mitigate the most severe impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss.
Achieving this target requires significant global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, including energy, industry, and transportation.
Scientists are surprised by the rapid pace of change, as average global temperatures have already risen by 1.3-1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to data from UN and EU science agencies.
“We continue to believe that (limiting the rise to) 1.5 degrees is achievable as a long-term goal, but clearly the risk that it will not be achieved is getting higher,” Julia King, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee was quoted in the Reuters report.
The group issued a caution, stating that a 4-degree Celsius increase in global warming by the end of the century remains a possibility.
This potential rise, they emphasised, should be integrated into future planning for residential and infrastructural development, ensuring these structures can endure the next 75 to 100 years.
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