How well prepared is the UK for climate change?
The main focus in tackling climate change has rightly been on mitigation, addressing the human causes of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But even with strong international action on mitigation, past and present emissions mean that the climate will continue to change and the UK will need to respond. Adaptation and mitigation are not alternatives, rather they are complementary. The Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC) of the Committee on Climate Change was established under the Climate Change Act 2008 to provide independent advice to the UK Government and the devolved administrations on the impacts of climate change on the UK and assess Government progress in implementing the National Adaptation Programme. This report provides the ASC's first national assessment of progress on preparing for climate change, based primarily on analysis of central government activity.
