Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Not Addressed
Nature-based solutions remain undervalued and underutilised in flood risk management
Conclusion
Nature-based solutions remain undervalued and underutilised in England’s approach to flood risk management. Despite growing evidence of their effectiveness in reducing flood risk, improving water quality, and delivering wider environmental and social benefits, they are still treated as peripheral rather than fundamental to national strategy. We find it deeply concerning that, in the face of escalating climate risks, nature- based solutions continue to be overlooked or deprioritised in policy and funding decisions. We welcomed the Minister’s suggestion that the current consultation will encourage nature-based solutions, and we look forward to the results of the consultation. Their long-term value is well recognised, yet current appraisal methods often fail to capture their full benefits, making investment harder to justify. Unless nature-based solutions are fully 59 integrated into planning and flood risk management, England risks missing one of its most cost effective, sustainable tools for building flood resilience. (Conclusion, Paragraph 42)
Government Response Summary
The government response focuses on exploring stronger climate adaptation objectives and setting measurable objectives in the fourth National Adaptation Programme due in 2028. It does not specifically address the committee's concerns regarding the undervaluation, underutilisation, or deprioritisation of nature-based solutions.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government has committed to explore how stronger climate adaptation objectives can be set to improve our preparedness for the impacts of climate change. This will support an ambitious and impactful fourth National Adaptation Programme due in 2028. To set objectives, we will first agree the planning assumptions of a minimum climate scenario, for which we should be preparing and a timeframe. Subsequently, the government will set measurable objectives, supported by delivery plans, in the fourth National Adaptation Programme that set out what the government aims to achieve under the planning assumptions. Where appropriate, objectives and delivery plans will incorporate resilience standards to help define the intended level of resilience for systems and assets. Recommendation at paragraph 71: ‘Flood investment must match the scale of risk. The Government’s flood budget should rise to at least £1.5 billion per year by 2030, as recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission to keep pace with climate impacts, and be explicitly tied to the delivery of measurable resilience outcomes.’