Floods

Floods due to climate change are a major risk to UK agriculture 

Water supply, energy production and soil degradation are some of the risks caused by climate change that are already being faced by the UK.

That’s according to a major new report into the UK’s risk from and preparation for climate change, published this week by the Committee on Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC).

“Climate change is happening now. Globally, 14 of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000,” the report said, warning that “urgent action is required to address climate-related risks”.

“The impacts of climate change are already being felt in the UK, and urgent action is required to address climate-related risks,' it found.

Changes to the UK climate are likely to include periods of too much or too little water, increasing average and extreme temperatures, and sea level rise. The report found that the most urgent risks for the UK include:

- Flooding and coastal change risks to communities, businesses and infrastructure

- Risk of shortages in the public water supply, and water for agriculture, energy generation and industry

- Risks to natural ecosystems, soils and biodiversity

- Risks to domestic and international food production and trade

- Risks of new and emerging pests and diseases, and invasive non-native species, affecting people, plants and animals

The UK could also see an increase in agricultural production as a result of warmer weather and longer growing seasons, if constraints such as water availability and soil fertility are managed, the report said.

Committee chairman Lord Krebs said: “The impacts of climate change are becoming ever clearer, both in the United Kingdom and around the world. We must take action now to prepare for the further, inevitable changes we can expect.

“Delaying or failing to take appropriate steps will increase the costs and risks for all UK nations arising from the changing climate.”

The report, compiled over three years using the work of hundreds of scientists, said that climate change risks will not change as a result of Brexit, but some risks may alter if EU policies and legislation are withdrawn and not replaced by equivalent or better UK measures.

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