UKGBC reacts to the IPCC Report on Adaptation, Impacts and Vulnerability

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has today reacted to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report on Adaptation, Impacts and Vulnerability.

In response to the report, UKGBC’s Chief Executive Officer Julie Hirigoyen said:

“This report is yet another dire warning that climate change is here, now, and that urgent action is required from governments, business and civil society to deal with increasing risks. The window of opportunity to take action is closing, and we are in an emergency heading for disaster.

The report singles out cities – which house more than half the world’s population – as ‘specific hotspots of impacts and risks’ to people, property and infrastructure. It’s clear therefore that much greater investment in adaptation measures must be prioritised in urban areas, and that nature itself offers huge potential to reduce climate risks and improve people’s lives.

Indeed, this report goes further than any previous IPCC Reports in linking human health and wellbeing with climate and biodiversity outcomes – highlighting that the communities least able to cope are being hit hardest. We can see this unfolding in the UK as low-income households are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty, overheating and flooding precisely because they lack the capacity to invest in improvements to their homes.

Equally, with 25% of the UK’s total carbon emissions directly attributed to the built environment, our sector has a significant role to play in decarbonisation. Emission reduction commitments aren’t enough, action is now critical. We must go further and faster, immediately.

The UK Government must show clear leadership and embed ambitious climate and adaptation action across all its flagship policies, from planning reform and tougher building regulations to home retrofit incentives and ‘levelling-up.’”

Read more about the IPCC report and its findings here.

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