Latest news with #JuliaKing
CNA
30-04-2025
- Climate
- CNA
Britain unprepared for worsening impact of climate change, advisers say
LONDON: Britain is unprepared for the worsening impacts of climate change such as flooding and extreme heat, the country's independent climate advisers said on Wednesday (Apr 30). Britain was battered by widespread flooding last year which caused travel disruption and damage to homes, and in recent years it has suffered heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. "We have seen in the last couple of years that the country is not prepared for the impacts of climate change. We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready – indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready," said Julia King, chair of the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) Adaptation Committee. In January, scientists said that 2024 was globally the hottest year on record, with climate change pushing the planet's temperature to levels never previously experienced by modern humans and making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. In response to the report, the government said it was taking robust action to prepare for climate change impacts. "We are investing a record 2.65 billion pounds (US$3.54 billion) to repair and build flood defences, protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses and helping local communities become more resilient," a government spokesperson said. The CCC's adaptation committee reviews the country's progress in adapting to climate change every two years and makes a report to parliament. Its latest report, published on Wednesday, said rising sea levels caused by climate change could increase the number of homes at risk of flooding to 8 million by 2050, from the current 6.3 million. Heat-related deaths could exceed 10,000 a year by 2050 up from around 3,000 in 2022, when the country saw record temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The report also said over half of England's best agricultural land was already at risk of flooding and that this proportion would increase over time. The committee recommended setting better targets for adaptation and improving coordination across government to consider climate impacts on areas such as infrastructure and the state-funded health system.
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
UK 'not ready' for effects of climate change, experts warn
LONDON: Britain is not properly prepared for the disastrous effects of climate change from severe floods to unprecedented heatwaves, a group of experts tasked with advising the government warned Wednesday. Extreme weather events have been rising across the country in past years and "adaptation is needed now to ensure that the UK is prepared", the experts from the Climate Change Committee said in a new report on the country's adaptation progress. "We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready, indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready," said Julia King, a member of the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, and chair of the committee. The committee, which is charged with reviewing the UK's progress on adaptation every two years, warned "there has been no change in addressing this risk with the change in government" after Labour took power from the Conservatives last year. Britain has been battered by major storms, as well as been hit by flooding and heatwaves, with many places registering record 40-degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) temperatures in July 2022. Droughts have also helped fan record numbers of wildfires -- some 500 in 2022. "The UK will experience warmer and wetter winters –- raising flood risk for properties, agriculture, and infrastructure," the report said, adding the period "between October 2022 to March 2024 was the wettest 18-months on record for England". Shifts towards "drier and hotter summers will increase the intensity of summer heatwaves and droughts, with rising risks of surface water flooding". More than half of the UK's top quality agricultural land and more than a third of railways and roads are also at risk of floods, the committee said. Today's problem Some 6.3 million properties in England are in flood-risk zones, with the number set to rise to eight million by 2050, or one in four properties. High temperatures will cause some 10,000 deaths a year by 2050. "We can't be clear enough about our message, we cannot wait to take action. This is not tomorrow's problem. It's today's problem, and if we don't do something about it, it will become tomorrow's disaster," King told journalists, as she presented the report. "The threat is greatest for the most vulnerable. We do not have resilient hospitals, schools or care homes," King added. None of the areas evaluated by the committee, including agriculture, water supplies, transport or building satisfactorily met the standards to be labelled as "good". The panel made four key recommendations including improving objectives and targets, and coordination across government departments. "Our farms are under water, food prices are going up, homes are wrecked and ordinary people count the cost," said senior Greenpeace climate coordinator Phil Evans, urging the government to "bolster Britain's resilience". Friends of the Earth said the government's adaptation plans were "not fit for purpose" and called for "an ambitious plan that helps safeguard our homes and communities now and for the future".
Malay Mail
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
UK ‘not ready' for effects of climate change, experts warn
LONDON, April 30 — Britain is not properly prepared for the disastrous effects of climate change from severe floods to unprecedented heatwaves, a group of experts tasked with advising the government warned today. Extreme weather events have been rising across the country in past years and 'adaptation is needed now to ensure that the UK is prepared', the experts from the Climate Change Committee said in a new report on the country's adaptation progress. 'We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready, indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready,' said Julia King, a member of the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, and chair of the committee. The committee, which is charged with reviewing the UK's progress on adaptation every two years, warned 'there has been no change in addressing this risk with the change in government' after Labour took power from the Conservatives last year. Britain has been battered by major storms, as well as been hit by flooding and heatwaves, with many places registering record 40-degree Celsius temperatures in July 2022. Droughts have also helped fan record numbers of wildfires—some 500 in 2022. 'The UK will experience warmer and wetter winters—raising flood risk for properties, agriculture, and infrastructure,' the report said, adding the period 'between October 2022 to March 2024 was the wettest 18-months on record for England'. Shifts towards 'drier and hotter summers will increase the intensity of summer heatwaves and droughts, with rising risks of surface water flooding'. More than half of the UK's top quality agricultural land and more than a third of railways and roads are also at risk of floods, the committee said. 'Today's problem' Some 6.3 million properties in England are in flood-risk zones, with the number set to rise to eight million by 2050, or one in four properties. High temperatures will cause some 10,000 deaths a year by 2050. 'We can't be clear enough about our message, we cannot wait to take action. This is not tomorrow's problem. It's today's problem, and if we don't do something about it, it will become tomorrow's disaster,' King told journalists, as she presented the report. 'The threat is greatest for the most vulnerable. We do not have resilient hospitals, schools or care homes,' King added. None of the areas evaluated by the committee, including agriculture, water supplies, transport or building satisfactorily met the standards to be labelled as 'good'. The panel made four key recommendations including improving objectives and targets, and coordination across government departments. 'Our farms are under water, food prices are going up, homes are wrecked and ordinary people count the cost,' said senior Greenpeace climate coordinator Phil Evans, urging the government to 'bolster Britain's resilience'. Friends of the Earth said the government's adaptation plans were 'not fit for purpose' and called for 'an ambitious plan that helps safeguard our homes and communities now and for the future'. — AFP
Reuters
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Britain unprepared for worsening impact of climate change, advisers say
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - Britain is unprepared for the worsening impacts of climate change such as flooding and extreme heat, the country's independent climate advisers said on Wednesday. Britain was battered by widespread flooding last year which caused travel disruption and damage to homes, and in recent years it has suffered heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. "We have seen in the last couple of years that the country is not prepared for the impacts of climate change. We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready – indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready," Julia King, Chair of the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) Adaptation Committee said. In January, scientists said 2024 was globally the hottest year on record with climate change pushing the planet's temperature to levels never before experienced by modern humans and making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. The CCC's adaptation committee reviews the country's progress to adapting to climate change every two years and makes a report to parliament. Its latest report published on Wednesday said rising sea levels caused by climate change could increase the number of homes at risk of flooding to 8 million by 2050, from the current 6.3 million. Heat related deaths could exceed 10,000 a year by 2050 up from around 3,000 in 2022, when the country saw record temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The report also said over half of England's top quality agricultural land was already at risk of flooding and that this proportion would increase over time. The committee recommended setting better targets for adaptation and improving co-ordination across government to consider climate impacts on areas such as infrastructure and the state-funded health system.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
U.K. Visa Fees Leaving Science And Other Sectors Struggling For Talent
Scientists in a lab. The visa fees the U.K. government charges to foreign workers, and the British companies that want to hire them, have steadily increased in recent years, as successive governments try to reduce the amount of people immigrating to the country. This is having serious consequences for science and research, as well as many other sectors, amid historic labor shortfalls across the British economy. According to Reuters, the high and increasing cost of visas - which includes the visa itself as well as other charges such as paying into the country's national health service as well as fees for any accompanying family members - could be deterring potential foreign workers, particularly scientists and engineers, from looking to fill vacancies in those sectors in the U.K. It couldn't come at a worse time. The U.K. is already struggling to plug massive holes in its labor market, across various sectors. On top of the visa fees, complicated and changing employment regulations in the country's relatively recently-introduced Skilled Worker Visa route are 'hampering' businesses trying to hire the talent they need. At the same time, critical sectors such as care work are also seeing massive shortages, as people are put off from the U.K. and seek work elsewhere, and amid a lack of domestic workers to fill the gaps. The current U.K. government under the Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made economic growth in the U.K. its main priority, and has said on several occasions it will review the visa system to try and make things easier. At the same time, however, the government is also under pressure to keep immigration numbers down. Parties and commentators to the right of British politics have criticized the government over its handling of a perceived 'crisis' of immigration in the country and there is continued focus on the regular 'net migration' figures which show just how many people are coming. Nonetheless, the need for foreign workers in the U.K. is clear, as it is across many countries in Western Europe. In light of this, Julia King, a former member of the U.K.'s House of Lords, told Reuters the country's current visa fee regime is an "act of national self-harm." Many other commentators have for years argued that the U.K. cannot achieve its growth ambitions without recruiting potentially hundreds of thousands of foreign workers. As it stands, however, the current recruitment and visa system is preventing many U.K. businesses getting the workers they need. "Whatever your views on the politics of immigration, the fact is that we don't have enough skilled workers in the U.K. to grow our economy,' wrote employment lawyer David Winnie in a recent op-ed. 'Unless the shortcomings of the current system are addressed – and hopefully they will be in future updates – many businesses could be hindered from reaching their full potential.' The government told Reuters that they are conducting a review into the system and will issue a policy paper to "to restore order to our broken immigration system" while also trying to grow the domestic workforce, thereby reducing the need for foreign workers.
