The independent statutory body that advises the UK Government about climate change, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has outlined a range of “immediate concerns” about the UK’s lack of readiness for increasingly extreme weather. 

The Committee’s dire warnings come as it releases a report to Parliament, entitled Progress in adapting to climate change, which spells out the extent to which the country remains vulnerable to ever-more worrying climate impacts. 

The new publication is highly relevant to transport consultants and their clients, too. This is because it assesses the preparedness for climate change of not only the Strategic Road Network (SRN), but also local roads. 

What has the Committee said about the situation for national transport? 

The “headline” declaration of the CCC with its latest report release, was that the UK was “not appropriately prepared” for increasingly severe weather events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and wildfire-conductive conditions. 

Also of concern to the Committee was that the change in UK Government – Labour having scored a healthy majority over the Conservatives in the 2024 general election – had not so far brought a corresponding change in how these climate risks were addressed. 

Focusing on the UK’s transport infrastructure, the independent body stated that while the SRN had improved in its preparedness, local roads continued to face challenges. 

According to the CCC, limited actions had taken place to deliver and implement adaptive change. Furthermore, the Committee stated, current policies and plans were insufficient. 

Concerns are heightening about the risks of flooded roads and economic damage 

Many transport consultants’ eyebrows will be raised at the CCC’s declaration that more than a third of the country’s railway and road kilometres are presently at risk of flooding. Even worse, this proportion is predicted to increase to around half by the middle of this century. 

The Committee voiced its worry, too, about the scope for extreme heat to disrupt infrastructure systems through such effects as rail buckling and sagging power lines. 

Alongside this, attention was drawn by the statutory body to estimates indicating that “unchecked” climate change could cause a 7% hit to UK GDP by 2050. 

This, the CCC said, could add to the challenge of trying to achieve sustainable long-term growth up and down the UK. 

Transportation professionals lend their backing to the CCC’s report

Responding to the Climate Change Committee, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) said the statutory body’s report echoed calls it had made in its own publication, entitled Delivering a resilient transport network. 

The CIHT said it had already urged the Government to make adaptation and resilience “an immediate investment and policy priority across all governmental transport strategies.” 

Furthermore, the charity reiterated its past call for mandatory assessments of the current and future resilience of the UK’s transport infrastructure. 

In addition, the CIHT encouraged the country’s legislative road authorities to set out “coherent and consistent guidance to the sector on how to undertake risk assessments on resilience.” 

The chartered professional body signalled that it looked forward to “continuing to work with the Climate Change Committee and the Government to ensure the UK’s transport networks are resilient in the face of climate change and increasingly adverse weather.” 

Seek out our transportation professionals for advice and guidance 

To discover more about the role our transport consultants can play in supporting your projects to success, please enquire now to your nearest Transport Planning Associates (TPA) office. 

We would be delighted to give you the benefit of tailored transport planning and infrastructure advice, informed by our longstanding expertise and innovation in the sector.