CCC warns MPs over lack of data on UK critical infrastructure assets at risk of flooding
The Environmental Audit Committee held a one off session on climate change adaptation in light of the recent publication of the Government’s Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017. This assessment draws primarily on the independent Evidence Report commissioned from the CCC’s Adaptation Sub-Committee. After major cuts during the Coalition years, this session coincides with further Government’s reduction of Defra staff to tackle climate change.
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http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news-parliament-2015/climate-change-adaptation-ev-16-17/
Water Briefing: The independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has warned MPs on the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee over the lack of information on critical infrastructure assets at risk of flooding in the UK.
The EAC was hearing oral evidence in a one-off session on climate change adaptation following on from the recent publication of the Government’s Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017. The assessment drew primarily on the independent Evidence Report commissioned from the CCC’s Adaptation Sub-Committee. Opening the evidence session, EAC Chair Mary Creagh MP, said the Committee on Climate Change had identified five areas where stronger policies and investment is required: flooding, health, risk to the water supply, risk to natural capital and risks to food. Flood risk management, natural capital were among a wide range of issues discussed during the session – others included food security, soil quality, farming, the impacts of Brexit, land use and the Water Framework Directive.
Not enough action to reduce risk in key areas of flooding and natural capital
Commenting on the current National Adaptation Plan, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) Adaptation Sub-Committee, told the EAC:
“…although there is a lot of action going on at the moment, we don’t see that it is really doing enough to reduce the risk, particularly in key areas of flooding and health and natural capital.”
Mary Creagh said the EAC been particularly concerned with flooding and questioned whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had the staff and resources in its adaptation team to ensure that the UK does respond effectively to the risks posed by climate change.
Daniel Johns, Head of Adaptation at the CCC, explained that a lot of investment is going through the Natural Environment Research Council into infrastructure resilience:
“They are looking very much at individual sectors—how resilient are the rail and road, energy and water sectors to climate change—but also how these systems work together as a system of systems to spot problems relating to bridges or the fact that everything runs on electricity and ICT these days so what potential there is for more systemic cascading failures as a result of point assets failing.