Recommendation 15

The Government has rightly focused extensive efforts on the path to net zero, but the irreversible effects of climate change are already with us, and are set to worsen significantly. This requires prioritisation at the highest levels of Government. Defra told us that its team of officials are responsible for “picking out the interdependencies” between CNI sectors in relation to climate adaptation, and referring them to other departments. Critical vulnerabilities require more than just information-sharing between civil servants, however—they require clear ownership by Ministers, and the coordination and oversight that the Cabinet Office is usually expected to provide. It is hard to imagine this approach being applied to any other national security risk.