A well-adapted UK
The Climate Change Committee’s latest Climate Risk Assessment1 acknowledges that since the Climate Change Act was passed nearly 20 years ago, the UK has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 42%.
However, according to this latest assessment, little progress has been made on preparing ourselves for life in a changing climate. It argues that a “well-adapted UK” is only achievable through immediate, large-scale, coordinated action - adaptation must become a core national priority .
The report repeatedly emphasises:
- the UK is already underprepared
- adaptation is now unavoidable
- delayed action increases costs and harms
- adaptation requires coordination across all sectors
- many solutions already exist
- government leadership is currently inadequate
Here's what Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci - Chair of the Adaptation Committee said:
The public is concerned that we are unprepared for climate change. At the Climate Change Committee, our detailed reports conclude that they are right to be concerned. What governments have been doing on adaptation clearly isn’t working. It is time for change.
Support for a “well-adapted UK”
Consider joining one of CA-WN's screenings of the People’s Emergency Briefing film that features footage from last November’s National Emergency Briefing when leading experts in climate science, food security, health, economics, national security and nature presented a clear, measured overview of how the climate and nature crisis is affecting everyday life in Britain.
Many local Councillors have already said they'll join one of our screenings and follow-up discussion – show them you care by coming along too.
Sign the petition
A new Parliamentary Petition aims to drive the message home to our elected members. This is what it says:
The UK faces growing risks from climate and nature breakdown - from extreme weather to economic disruption and national security threats. Yet the public has never been given a clear national briefing on the scale of these risks. Government should hold an emergency briefing from leading experts.
These risks could have serious consequences across UK society, with threats to health and food supply - which could become irreversible without urgent action. Many people are unclear how these risks may affect them, and information in the public domain is often misleading.
A credible national briefing from independent experts would give people clear, trusted guidance on what these risks mean in practice, and what we can do - both together and individually - to prepare and respond.
If the petition gets 10,000 signatures, then government will respond to it.
If it gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Can we help drive it to well over 100,000 signatures so that Parliament is obliged to do more than merely consider it?
SIGN THE PETITION
Reference
1 A Well-Adapted UK – the Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk