UK so ill-prepared for climate change that 25% of English homes at flood risk

2022 was the warmest year on record for the UK, followed by 2023, and the probabilities of warm years to this extent have increased by over 150 times. This is expected to worsen if no action is taken.

The discussion comes as flood risk is rising for social landlords. In January, residents were flooded out of their homes. Inside Housing looked at how the risk and insurance costs are rising.

The CCC added that over half of England’s top quality agricultural land is at risk of flooding, with a further increase expected by 2050, posing a major threat to biodiversity, which is already degrading rapidly.

One London council recently declared a nature emergency and launched a blueprint to tackle declining biodiversity.

Also predicted to rise above one-third by 2050 is the amount of railway and road kilometres that are at flood risk. Extreme heat would also disrupt infrastructure system through rail buckling and power line sagging.

The committee said that unchecked climate change could impact the UK’s economic output by up to 7% of GDP by 2050, creating challenges for driving sustainable long-term growth.

The CCC report comes as a number of regional mayors set out why retrofitting homes in the key link between climate and social justice.

Baroness Brown, chair of the adaptation committee at the CCC, said: “Ineffective and outdated ways of working within government are holding back the country’s ability to be future-fit.

“Is this government going to face up to the reality of our situation? Failing to act will impact every family and every person in the country.”

Through the National Adaptation Programme (NAP), the government set out devolved policy areas for England and reserved policy areas for the UK on climate impact, as required by the Climate Change Act 2008.

The CCC said that the most recent NAP3, published by the previous government in July 2023, requires significant work to address long-standing issues.

Four key areas of action were recommended to drive the UK’s climate change response. One is ensuring that sufficient resources in the upcoming Spending Review are allocated for climate adaption planning, including costly retrofits.

Another is that climate objectives should come with an actionable and measurable framework for the rest of the government, the private sector and households.

The committee also called for monitoring, evaluation and learning across all sectors to be implemented, underpinned by regular data collection and reporting.

A government spokesperson said: “As part of our Plan for Change, we are investing a record £2.65bn to repair and build flood defences, protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and helping local communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change such as overheating and drought.

“We will now carefully consider the findings of the CCC’s report and we will respond in due course.”