Global warming-fuelled extreme climate events have been an increasingly urgent reality in the UK and the world. — Bloomberg
London: Despite the growing impacts of climate change, the British government lacks “an effective strategy” to make the country resilient to extreme weather events that can cause significant disruption to life and business.
“The absence of an effective strategy and targets makes it difficult for government to make informed decisions on investment,” according to a new report by the National Audit Office (NAO). “The NAO found limited evidence of risk assessments feeding into how funding was allocated,” the independent public spending watchdog added.
Global warming-fuelled extreme climate events have been an increasingly urgent reality in the UK and the world. Last week, the World Meteorological Organization declared 2023 the hottest year on record. Storms and flooding have battered Britain and parts of Europe.
The “government does not track or evaluate its spending on extreme weather,” the report said. “Until these plans are developed, it cannot demonstrate whether value for money is being achieved.”
The report assessed four extreme weather risks – droughts, surface-water flooding, storms, and high temperatures and heat waves – to determine how equipped the country is for the projected increasing frequency and intensity of such events.
In a report last month, the NAO had warned that hundreds of thousands of British homes would miss out on flood protections, with spending over the last few years diverted by Brexit, inflation and the pandemic. — Bloomberg
