Twenty-eighth Report Adapting Institutions to Climate Change Cm ...

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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The compelling and growing body of evidence on climate change points to the need for drastic
and urgent action. The requirement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases is well recognised,
but this alone will not suffice: substantial changes to our climate are already unavoidable. Despite
the magnitude of this challenge and the powerful evidence now available, there is still a lack of
understanding about what a changed climate really means for society, or what institutions should
be doing to prepare for it. This report sets out some of the implications of a changing climate for
the UK, addresses the challenges which institutions will face and considers ways in which we can
prepare for inevitable climate change.
The main political and scientific response to climate change has, so far, been to develop mitigation
measures to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions (a subject that the Commission addressed
in its 22nd report Energ y – The Changing Climate). 1 The UK is committed to reducing emissions by
80% from 1990 levels by 2050. 2
But the evidence we have received has convinced us that society and governments are underestimating
the challenge of climate change. The Commission supports the findings of the recent International
Scientific Congress on Climate Change (March 2009, Copenhagen) which concluded: 3
“Recent observations confirm that, given high rates of observed emissions, the
worst-case IPCC i scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realised. For many
key parameters, the climate system is already moving beyond the patterns of natural
variability within which our society and economy have developed and thrived.”
This stark warning stresses that ‘business as usual’ will be insufficient. To a certain extent,
society adapts reactively to changing climate. Human societies have developed a wide range of
socio-technological capabilities to deal with natural phenomena which they already understand.
Adaptive capacity develops as events (such as heatwaves or major floods) are experienced. In the
natural environment, plants and animals may adapt with time but do not have the human capacity
of intervention, although humans may intervene to support and protect species and habitats.
However, we are now faced with unprecedented changes in our environment. Anticipatory or
forward planning rather than simple reaction is essential.
In these circumstances, the need to address adaptation – the process of adjusting to the changes in
our climate – is especially important. These changes will have profound effects on many aspects
of our lives in the UK. For example, there is a greater threat of both drought and floods, with
extreme weather events becoming more frequent. Sea levels will rise, some familiar species will
disappear and new alien species will arrive – for better or worse. These changes will only emerge
erratically over the coming years and decades, but they require action now if society is to be
prepared. There is an urgent need to address difficult questions about the design of infrastructure,
i Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
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