Climate adaptation vital and way cheaper than inaction

Adaptation to an increasingly volatile climate is vital and will save billions compared to the cost of not acting. A new report says the UK needs better cooling as well as protecting against both floods and drought.

The Climate Change Committee has published A Well-Adapted UK. This report sets out a comprehensive package of solutions to address the growing impacts of climate change affecting every aspect of life in the UK.

The country’s independent climate advisors identify better cooling, flood protection and a more secure water supply as the most critical priorities to protect the UK from the three biggest climate risks – heat, flooding and drought.

We are already seeing disruption today and without action these risks will escalate. By 2050, 92% of homes are likely to overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day.

The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of acting now. The Committee’s proposals require investment of around £11bn a year, split broadly evenly between public and private funding.

Without adaptation the cost of climate change to public welfare is likely to rise to between 1-5% of UK GDP by 2050 under a 2°C global warming level, equivalent to £60bn-£260bn per year.

Crossbench peer Julia King, chair of the Adaptation Committee, said:

Our lives, our landscapes and our homes are under increasing pressure from the changing climate. But we are not powerless. In an increasingly unstable world, being well adapted to climate change is fundamental to securing our food, energy and economic security.

This report carries a message of hope. The solutions already exist, and proven technologies are available now to help the UK adapt effectively. With the right decisions and actions, we can protect the people and the places we love.

We can protect patients and residents in overheated hospitals and care homes, children in nurseries and schools, and communities facing repeated flooding. We can support our farmers to maintain our food supplies. We can keep sports pitches usable, high streets open for business, and iconic British music festivals running safely.

The public want to see change and the government now has an opportunity to step up and protect our way of life.

The Adaptation Committee’s eight key areas for government action are:

Protect people from heat. Invest in cooling – including air conditioning, heat pumps and green shading – across key public services. Government should commit to a national maximum temperature for workplaces to protect workers’ safety and incentivise the deployment of cooling.

Manage flood risk. Long‑term investment in measures such as flood defences, effective emergency response, and natural solutions like wetlands are essential. Annual flood risk investment must rise to around £1.6–£2.2bn each year across the UK to prevent risks increasing further. Government should also manage development in flood-prone areas carefully, avoiding new construction where risks are not adequately reduced.

Avoid water shortages. Maintain a strong regulatory focus on drought, scale up sustainable water storage, accelerate leakage reduction and cut demand. All new homes should be water efficient from the outset.

Support nature to adapt. Increase public investment in nature restoration and modernise regulation to support ecosystems to survive and thrive under future climate conditions, not those of the past.

Keep farming viable. Support farmers with the skills, information and training they need to make climate resilient decisions. Actions include crop diversification and on‑farm water storage to reduce drought risk and build resilience.

Understand the risks to food security. Improve the quality, consistency and availability of information on climate risks across the food system. Government should make the Adaptation Reporting Power mandatory and extend it to large food companies, reflecting their role in food security and price stability. They should also consider the potential for large-scale national food stockpiling.

Maintain access to insurance. Ensure the right protections are in place and the costs of extreme weather are shared so insurance remains affordable and available. Urgent clarity is needed on the future of flood reinsurance, including the Flood Re scheme, ahead of its current 2039 end date.

Adapt infrastructure to avoid cascading disruption. Design and maintain transport, energy and telecommunications systems to operate safely under future climate conditions. Government and regulators must take a more structured approach to managing dependencies between infrastructure systems to avoid widespread disruption.

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