02 Apr 2013
The Government has been urged to ensure all new public building projects are able to withstand changes to the UK climate during their lifetime.
A list of 12 priorities for Government action on adapting to climate change are set out in a new report entitled An Independent National Adaptation Programme for England.
It says that all newly constructed long-lived infrastructure and buildings – including schools, hospitals, offices, roads and railways – must be designed to be suitable for extremes of weather conditions.
The report also recommends that existing public infrastructure should be given routine maintenance and retrofitting to boost climate resilience while also keeping costs to a minimum.
Professor Sam Fankhauser and co-authors of the policy brief say their proposed measures would make the UK less vulnerable to extreme weather incidents such as droughts and floods.
The report was published by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at London School of Economics and Political Science; the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy at the University of Leeds; and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Copyright Press Association 2013