The OEP has responded to today's publication of the Climate Change Committee's 'A Well-Adapted UK' report, which sets out a comprehensive package of solutions to address the growing impacts of climate change.
Natalie Prosser, Chief Executive Officer of the OEP, said:
“We welcome the hard-hitting and sobering assessment of UK climate risk published today by the Climate Change Committee in it’s report, ‘A Well Adapted UK’. This says that current plans are insufficient to address the scale of the challenge and urgent action is needed to better protect the UK from climate change.
“In January we reported that in England government remains largely off-track to meet the environmental commitments and obligations set out in its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). In June we will publish our first assessment of progress in delivery of Northern Ireland’s EIP, where DAERA’s own assessment of progress has already signalled a similar picture.
“Priority risks identified by the CCC include risks to the state of nature, the viability of farming and to water availability. Those risks have direct impacts on the effectiveness or otherwise of the delivery of the EIPs and whether the UK Government and NI Executive can get on track to successfully meet their environmental commitments.
“The CCC says it can be done, but urgent action is needed, supported by robust objectives and measurable targets, backed by delivery plans and resources, with clear accountability. This is consistent with our own calls for an increase in the pace and scale of action to protect and improve the environment, with coherence across different policies and plans and a focus on delivering real outcomes.
“Without action the risks will escalate and nature’s recovery will become yet more challenging. As CCC Chair Baroness Brown says, it is time for government to step up.”
The Climate Change Committee's report can be found here: A Well-Adapted UK - Climate Change Committee
