UK must prepare for 2C rise in global warming by 2050, government warned

Independent climate consultants have stated that the UK should be able to cope with a global warming increase of at least 2°C by 2050. In a letter to the government, they warned that the country is not yet adapted to the worsening weather extremes that are already occurring at current rising temperatures, "let alone" what is predicted to come. The commission recommended that the UK prepare for climate change beyond the long-term temperature target set in the Paris Agreement. This letter was sent as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that 2024 saw a record rise in carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in the atmosphere.

$CO_2$ is the primary cause of human-induced climate change and is released when fossil fuels and other materials are burned. The CCC's letter was a response to a request for a timeframe to set adaptation scenarios based on minimum climate projections. They urged the government to establish a framework of clear, long-term goals to prevent further temperature rises, with new targets every five years and government departments being held fully accountable for achieving them. The CCC stated that more information on potential "trade-offs" would be available in May 2026, when the UK's first major study on climate change adaptation is scheduled for release.

The committee's last report, published in April, stated that UK temperatures were "either too warm, have stalled, or [are] heading in the wrong direction." It warned that this lack of action could leave the UK vulnerable to severe economic and health risks in the coming decades, affecting everything from hospitals and care homes to food and water sources. The effects of high temperatures are already apparent, especially in schools. The CCC cited preliminary findings from the Department of Education, which found that schools had, on average, 1.7 days of "overheating," resulting in a loss of learning time due to the heat.

UK "Not Keeping Up" with Increasing Climate Risks

In 2015, nearly 200 nations signed the Paris Agreement, committing to try and prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and to keep them "well below" 2°C. As the CCC explained in their letter, a global warming level of 2°C would have a major effect on the UK's weather, with extreme events becoming more common and widespread. According to the CCC, the UK could face more heatwaves, droughts, and floods, and the wildfire season would likely last into the fall.

"People in the United Kingdom are already suffering the consequences of a changing climate, and we owe it to them to prepare and support them to prepare," said Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the CCC's adaptation committee.

"Adaptation in the United Kingdom is not keeping up with the rise in climate risk," she told the BBC's Today program. "The effects on the UK are getting worse, and [the government] needs more enthusiasm." The chairwoman also criticized Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has promised to scrap the UK's landmark climate change law and replace it with a program for "cheap and reliable" electricity. Baroness Brown described the promise as "disappointing" and said she wished the Conservative leader would "reflect on the fact that the legislation protects both adaptation and mitigation."

Climate change is altering the UK's weather patterns, with four official heatwaves forecast in 2025, which the Met Office says was the hottest on record. Met Office climate scientists have reported that a summer as hot or humid as 2025 is now 70% more likely than it would have been in a "natural" environment without human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

Record Rise in CO2

According to the WMO, the increase of $CO_2$ in the atmosphere between 2023 and 2024 was the largest single-year rise since modern measurements began in the late 1950s. This finding summarized a report first published by the Met Office in January.

"The heat trapped by $CO_2$ and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and triggering more extreme weather," said WMO deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett. "Reducing emissions is therefore vital not only for our climate, but also for our economic stability and community well-being." Based on longer-term measurements from sources like marine sediments and ice cores, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has previously reported that current $CO_2$ levels are at their highest in at least two million years.