Overview

• The CCC’s letter quantifies higher risks at 2C: annual heatwave chances double, drought time in England doubles, peak rainfall rises 10–15%, and some peak river flows increase up to 40%.
• Advisers say the UK is already underprepared at roughly 1.4C, citing this year’s hottest summer, drought declarations, poor harvests and heat-related deaths.
• Ministers are urged to adopt a formal adaptation framework to 2050 with five-year targets, clear departmental accountability and defined funding responsibilities.
• New homes, energy networks and other long‑lived assets should be built to be upgradeable for up to 4C of warming by late century.
• The advice follows a request from floods minister Emma Hardy; the CCC still treats 1.5C as a long‑term goal but warns rising risk and political strains, including proposals to scrap the Climate Change Act, could hinder delivery, with a fuller report due in May.