UK’s climate change plan ‘a step in the right direction’, say IMechE experts

Smoke rises from a wildfire in Wales (Credit: Shutterstock)
The government’s new plan to adapt to climate change in the UK is a “step in the right direction” as vast swathes of the northern hemisphere swelter in record-breaking and dangerous temperatures, IMechE experts have said.
The government’s new plan to adapt to climate change in the UK is a “step in the right direction” as vast swathes of the northern hemisphere swelter in record-breaking and dangerous temperatures, IMechE experts have said.
The National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), published yesterday (17 July), has faced some criticism for the proposed pace and scale of change. The IMechE experts said measures in the five-year plan could be “vital” for boosting heatwave resilience, however.
The plan for 2023-28 includes a Department for Transport consultation on a new transport adaptation strategy, which will take a “holistic approach to addressing climate risks to transport”, and a Department for Business and Trade strategy on supply chains and imports, to “strengthen our ability to respond to threats to critical imports, such as from climate change”.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will update the National Planning Policy Framework to support adaptation and mitigation efforts, “in addition to recent updates to building regulations to reduce excess heat and unwanted solar gains in all new residential buildings”, while Defra will jointly fund a £15m programme with UK Research and Innovation to support the research and innovation needed for adaptation action.
The programme is “a step in the right direction amidst the alarming increase in temperatures and other extreme weather events both nationally and worldwide. The urgency to adapt has never been more evident,” said Dr Laura Kent, public affairs and policy advisor at IMechE, and author of a recent report, Adapting Industry to Withstand Rising Temperatures and Future Heatwaves, along with IMechE fellow Dr Tim Fox.
The institution is “pleased” with the establishment of a new coordinating body within the Cabinet Office and collaborative efforts with the Met Office to enhance accessibility to climate data, she added.
“This is a vital move to effectively plan and retrofit our building stock as well as a wide range of vital infrastructure assets, to ensure their resilience to future higher temperatures and increasingly frequent, prolonged and severe heatwaves. The time for action is now, and we must swiftly implement comprehensive strategies across a wide range of sectors to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and productivity.”
Dr Fox, chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Working Group, said: “The Institution of Mechanical Engineers and wider engineering profession are focussed on helping government, academia, industry and civil society develop solutions to the challenges of adapting to climate change. The record-breaking temperatures being experienced in many parts of the world at the moment put a sharp focus on the urgent need to deliver these solutions.
“We stand ready to work with the new cross-government Climate Resilience Board to help support the continued health, comfort, safety, food and nutritional security, productivity and economic wellbeing of the nation.”
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The plan for 2023-28 includes a Department for Transport consultation on a new transport adaptation strategy, which will take a “holistic approach to addressing climate risks to transport”, and a Department for Business and Trade strategy on supply chains and imports, to “strengthen our ability to respond to threats to critical imports, such as from climate change”.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will update the National Planning Policy Framework to support adaptation and mitigation efforts, “in addition to recent updates to building regulations to reduce excess heat and unwanted solar gains in all new residential buildings”, while Defra will jointly fund a £15m programme with UK Research and Innovation to support the research and innovation needed for adaptation action.
The programme is “a step in the right direction amidst the alarming increase in temperatures and other extreme weather events both nationally and worldwide. The urgency to adapt has never been more evident,” said Dr Laura Kent, public affairs and policy advisor at IMechE, and author of a recent report, Adapting Industry to Withstand Rising Temperatures and Future Heatwaves, along with IMechE fellow Dr Tim Fox.
The institution is “pleased” with the establishment of a new coordinating body within the Cabinet Office and collaborative efforts with the Met Office to enhance accessibility to climate data, she added.
“This is a vital move to effectively plan and retrofit our building stock as well as a wide range of vital infrastructure assets, to ensure their resilience to future higher temperatures and increasingly frequent, prolonged and severe heatwaves. The time for action is now, and we must swiftly implement comprehensive strategies across a wide range of sectors to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and productivity.”
Dr Fox, chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Working Group, said: “The Institution of Mechanical Engineers and wider engineering profession are focussed on helping government, academia, industry and civil society develop solutions to the challenges of adapting to climate change. The record-breaking temperatures being experienced in many parts of the world at the moment put a sharp focus on the urgent need to deliver these solutions.
“We stand ready to work with the new cross-government Climate Resilience Board to help support the continued health, comfort, safety, food and nutritional security, productivity and economic wellbeing of the nation.”
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
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