As Pakistan swelters in unprecedented heat this week, experts give a terrifying insight into the fatal effects of climate change.
Extreme heat could kill around 11,000 Britons per year by 2050, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
The body warns that the Government is failing to brace the UK for ‘tomorrow’s disaster’ of floods, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and more dire climate effects.
From schools to hospitals, houses and railway lines, the country’s infrastructure is not prepared for the effects of rising temperatures.
‘We have seen in the last couple of years that the country is not prepared for the impacts of climate change,’ said Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC’s adaptation committee.
‘We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready – indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready.’
It comes as unusually warm conditions spread over the Middle East and South Asia, including Pakistan, Iran, India and Saudi Arabia.
In Pakistan, temperatures rose to 118°F (47°C) at the weekend and could near the global record for April of 122°F (50°C).
A charity worker sprays water on a passerby’s head amid the ongoing heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan. Temperatures rose to 118°F (47°C) last weekend and could near the global record for April of 122°F (50°C)
This image from the report shows rising global temperatures across multiple datasets, including Met Office’s HadCRUT5. The current rate of warming is rapidly approaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels due to human activity
The CCC assessment looked at 46 areas where climate adaptation needs to be delivered, from food security to transport, buildings, health and wellbeing, as well as ‘community preparedness and response’.
It found there has been good progress in plans for only three – making rail and strategic road networks reliable and ensuring risks were properly disclosed and managed by financial institutions.
But it regarded a remarkable 12 areas as being insufficient.
Delivering change had actually worsened in the water sector because of a lack of decent plans to cut leaks and reduce water demand in the face of drought.
Authors say there is now ‘unequivocal evidence’ that climate change is making extreme weather in the UK more likely, pointing to recent events.
During 2022’s heatwave, temperatures topped 40°C (104°F) for the first time ever, leading to nearly 3,000 deaths that were otherwise preventable.
In addition to the heat-related early deaths, it placed huge pressure on emergency services and halted operations in hospitals.
Climate change is not only responsible for higher temperatures, but other unpredictable weather events such as tropical storms and floods.
Intense temperatures trigger wildfires and thunderstorms, infrastructure damage and kill thousands of people. Pictured, fire breaks out in residential areas in Wennington, Greater London, during July 2022
Extremely wet weather between autumn 2022 and spring 2024 hit harvests
This graph from the report shows changes in annual UK temperature relative to the 1981-2000 average – with recent years setting records
Also, climate change causes more ‘wildfire-conducive conditions’ – making fires more likely to start and spread.
The report warns 6.3million homes in England are at risk of flooding, which is set to rise to eight million (one in four) by 2050.
Record wet conditions from 2022 to 2024 caused devastating flooding and crop damage, affecting food production worldwide.
Half the UK’s prime agricultural farmland is at risk of flooding, which is set to worsen, while schools, hospitals and care homes are among the most vulnerable to impacts such as heatwaves, the committee warned.
Flooding threats will be especially severe for cities and towns around the UK’s coastline due to steadily rising sea levels, which is due to the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.
The societal effects of climate change will be far-reaching, the report warns.
For example, extreme heat will continue to disrupt infrastructure systems by making power lines sag, causing blackouts and making railway lines expand, causing equipment damage and delays.
A man cools himself with a cup of water at a roadside camp run by social group Sohni Dharti Youth Council in Hyderabad, Pakistan
France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK faced one of the most dangerous periods of heat in the summer of 2022. Pictured, Hackney, east London, on July 18 that year
Without action on climate change, up to 7 per cent of the UK’s economic output could be hit by 2050, creating ‘challenges for driving sustainable long-term growth’.
As there had been no improvement since its last assessment in 2023, the CCC accused the Government of failing to deliver the change in approach needed.
Baroness Brown said: ‘People are worrying about the impacts of extreme weather, worrying about food prices. People are worried about what’s going to happen to their vulnerable friends and relatives.
‘Despite all this, we are seeing no such change in activity from the new government, despite the fact that it’s clear to my committee, it’s increasingly clear to the public that the current approach to adaptation policy just isn’t working.
‘Our message is the country is at risk, people are at risk, and there’s not enough being done.’
She added: ‘We can’t wait to take action, this is not tomorrow’s problem, it’s today’s problem, and if we don’t do something about it, it will become tomorrow’s disaster.’
A government spokesman said they would carefully consider the committee’s report.
They added: ‘Alongside our transition to become a clean energy superpower and accelerating towards Net Zero, the Government is taking robust action to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.
‘We are investing a record £2.65billion to repair and build flood defences, protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses and helping local communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change such as overheating and drought.’
The report is available to download on the CCC’s website.
