Recommendation 2

When we launched this inquiry, climate adaptation had been described as the ‘Cinderella’ of climate change, compared with climate mitigation and the path to net zero. Approaching the vital COP26 summit, we saw much-needed discussion about actions to decarbonise the UK economy and cut greenhouse emissions for the future, but little attention was paid to the effects of climate change already incurred. During the course of our inquiry, however, the UK experienced major weather events such as Storm Arwen, including extensive power outages and a knock-on effect on communications. We concluded our inquiry in the midst of an unprecedented heatwave, taking evidence from Government Ministers and officials while the country faced significant rail disruptions, flight delays and power cuts. These events have moved climate adaptation more firmly into the public eye and demonstrated that poor adaptation poses a threat to UK national security, but they have also shone a light on an alarming lack of Government action in this vital area. (Paragraph 19) Key adaptation challenges: interdependencies and information-sharing