Climate Change Committee Calls for Urgent Action
LONDON: Climate change experts have urged the United Kingdom to establish maximum temperature regulations for workplaces and to adapt hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure to a warming planet. The recommendations come in a report published on Wednesday by the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises the British government on adapting to global warming.
The CCC report emphasizes that Britain should set measurable targets to mitigate the effects of climate change. Experts identified heat, flooding, and drought as the key climate threats facing the UK. Without urgent government action, 92 percent of homes are likely to overheat by 2050, and acute water supply shortfalls are expected.
Infrastructure Unprepared for Current Climate
The report notes that the UK was built for a climate that no longer exists and will become increasingly distant in the years to come. This follows concerns during recent heatwaves that British infrastructure is not prepared for higher temperatures. The country recorded its hottest year on record in 2025, and extreme weather events have intensified, including unprecedented heatwaves, damaging floods, and prolonged droughts.
Four of the UK's last five years rank among the top five warmest years since 1884, and all of the top 10 hottest years have occurred in the last two decades.
Recommendations for Adaptation
The CCC's fourth report to the government advises that efforts to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius should not prevent the UK from preparing for the consequences of climate change. Countries agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, aiming for a 1.5 degrees Celsius cap, but scientists warn this target is increasingly unattainable as human-driven climate change accelerates.
The report urges the government to set maximum working temperature regulations to protect workers, although it does not specify what that maximum should be. Britain currently has no such rules. The CCC points to examples like Spain, where the maximum legal indoor working temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. Other recommendations include installing cooling infrastructure such as air conditioners and heat pumps, building flood defenses, and investing in reservoirs.
Investment and Emissions Targets
The CCC advises the government to show increased ambition and estimates that investments of approximately 11 billion pounds (14.7 billion dollars) per year from the public and private sectors are needed. The UK has set a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81 percent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels and aims to be carbon neutral by the middle of the century.
