The top 10 warmest years for the UK have occurred since 2002. The mean sea level around the UK has risen by about 170mm since the start of the 20th century and by the end of the 21st century, all areas of the UK are forecast to be warmer. This projected data, provided by the Met Office for the UK, reflects an even more severe global picture.
Around the world, climate disasters are now affecting areas previously unaffected by human activity. The picturesque tourist paradise Maui and the Big Island in Hawaii has experienced its worst natural disaster since 1960. The islands have been ravaged by wildfires, killing over 60 people and forcing residents and tourists into the sea to seek safety from the flames. Professor David Beilman of the University of Hawaii has described the situation as an “Anthropocene phenomenon,” with fires normally resulting from volcanic activity on the islands.
Closer to home, parts of Europe have endured sweltering temperatures throughout June, July, and August, with temperatures surpassing 40°C in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that extreme weather is “becoming the new normal” as global weather patterns experience intense periods of heat.
Whether fires or flooding, infrastructure feels the strain of adverse weather patterns year after year. In August this year, Storm Antoni battered parts of the UK with 125km/h winds and 43mm of rainfall. For the second time in three years, Loftus in North Yorkshire has been flooded, with homes affected yet again.
Climate change is no longer a distant issue affecting the rest of the world. The UK is – and will continue to be – affected by climate change. A proactive approach is therefore needed - urgently.
Awareness, Response, Action
Data from Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s latest World Risk Poll, powered by Gallup, provides insight into the attitudes towards safety and risks of 125,000 people from 121 countries.
Respondents were asked whether they think climate change will be a threat to people in their country in the next 20 years. Results revealed 68.1% of UK respondents viewed climate change as a ‘very serious threat’ compared to a global average of 40.74%.
With the UK demonstrating an awareness of the threat posed by climate change in the next two decades, the unpreparedness of the country’s infrastructure is startling. One reason is government attitudes.
The UK government has been deemed to hold “extreme weakness” when it comes to infrastructure. The joint committee on the national security strategy has said the UK’s critical national infrastructure, including vital power, transport, and communications networks, has been left exposed because of a “severe dereliction of duty.” The committee said no minister was prepared to take responsibility for ensuring the resilience of vital infrastructure even though climate change is considered a national security risk.
The UK government’s attitude towards infrastructure requires drastic change if legacy buildings and existing homes are to be protected into the future. With no dedicated minister appointed with making infrastructure more resilient, we risk falling behind in the race to ensure our buildings can withstand more dramatic environmental changes.
Future Foundations
The UK’s perception of infrastructure resilience must change. The government has a crucial part to play in the investment of this change, such as retrofitting the 30M homes which make up a huge proportion of the UK legacy building stock and contribute to more than 21% of the country’s total carbon emissions.
If our leaders don’t act and lead by example, how can individual households possibly prepare for future climate disasters?
There is a huge misconception in how resilience in engineering is perceived and prioritised. Our infrastructure is not viewed with the same importance as other national emergencies, such as health or security. Crumbling critical infrastructure is exposing the UK’s potential weak points. The cost of proactive action today will be far less than the reaction to failed infrastructures in the future.
At Lloyd’s Register Foundation, we have already given 22 grants in the safety of critical infrastructure area. With our Foresight review of structural integrity and systems performance, we’ve highlighted the key safety challenges that exist in current infrastructure and identified how resources should be directed to address them.
For too long, infrastructure has been built and expected to outlast its builders. Well, times are changing, and to ignore the environment when we build our current buildings is only going to punish populations and economies when our climate irreversibly changes. We are not prepared and have too easily accepted that the destruction climate change brings is unpreventable. This isn’t the case. We have the potential and the imagination to build resiliently but we need leadership and action.
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