Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the
Environment Agency, has issued a response to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “Climate
Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.”
Emma Howard Boyd said:
“It is adapt or die. Previous
IPCC reports have talked about terrible climate risks, this
report shows how impacts to people, nature and the economy are
interconnected. The IPCC offers us a glimmer of hope, the window
to deliver climate resilience is still there, but it is closing
fast. The present failure of the international community to
respond with an integrated adaptation strategy is grave. Local
communities, economies and some entire countries are already
paying the price while nations argue over who is
liable.
“This isn’t only happening in
the global south. Climate adaptation is integral to everything
the Environment Agency does. Last week, we protected over 40,000
homes from flooding in the recent storms, but the disruption to
transport links and supply chains, power outages, damage to
trees, offices, shops and farms shows everyone needs to rapidly
prioritise adaptation as new extremes shift the dial on what’s
normal. To save both lives and livelihoods, we all need to plan,
adapt and thrive.
“The Treasury commissioned the
Dasgupta review to look at the economics of biodiversity. We need
a similar review to assess the true cost of climate impacts in
the UK and the value of investing in resilience. This analysis
will help identify key sectors, assess the best balance of
private and public investment, and identify the best role of
public action to support private investment.”
