In a letter from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK Government has been warned that the country has not yet adapted to the growing climate challenges occurring at the current level of warming, with further growth expected to come in the near future.
The CCC has urged the Government to set out a clear, long-term framework of objectives in order to mitigate further rises in temperature, with new targets set every five years and departments held accountable for delivering these goals.
The letter came as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recorded a record rise of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere during 2024, and the CCC had been asked to provide advice on adaptation settings based on minimum climate scenarios. A report will be released by the CCC in May 2026, detailing how the UK can best adapt to climate change risks.
These risks, detailed in the letter, explain how the UK could experience increased heatwaves, drought, flooding and the wildfire season is likely to extend from Summer into Autumn. The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, saw almost 200 countries commit to the prevention of global temperatures rising more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, with this new estimate putting the UK on track to exceed this in the next 25 years.
Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the adaptation committee for the CCC, has said that ‘People in the UK are already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, and we owe it to them to prepare, and also to help them prepare’.
As a renewables developer and operator in the UK, CWP Energy are proud to play our part in working towards a sustainable and green future, looking to reduce the usage and impacts of fossil fuels on our climate and aid the UK in achieving its climate targets and obligations.
