Changing climate risk in the UK: a multi-sectoral analysis using policy-relevant indicators

Arnell, N.W.; Kay, A.L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5526-1756; Freeman, A.; Rudd, A.C.; Lowe, J.A.. 2021 Changing climate risk in the UK: a multi-sectoral analysis using policy-relevant indicators. Climate Risk Management, 31, 100265. 25, pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2020.100265

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2020.100265

Abstract/Summary

This paper presents a consistent series of policy-relevant indicators of changing climate hazards and resources for the UK, spanning the health, transport, energy, agriculture, flood and water sectors and based on UKCP18 climate projections. In the absence of explicit adaptation, risks will increase across the whole of the UK, but at different rates and from different starting values in different regions. The likelihood of heat extremes affecting health, the road and rail network and crop growth will increase very markedly. Agricultural and hydrological drought risks increase across the UK, as does wildfire danger. River flood risk increases particularly in the north and west. Demand for cooling energy will increase, but demand for heating energy will decline. Crop growing degree days will increase, benefiting the production of perennial crops. In general, the risks associated with high temperature extremes will increase the most in warmer southern and eastern England, but the rate of increase from a lower base may be greater further north and west. Reducing emissions reduces risks in the long term but has little effect over the next two or three decades. The results provide evidence to support the development of national and local climate and resilience policy. Measures to enhance resilience are needed alongside policies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Resilience policy should recognise the variability in change in risk across the UK, and therefore different local priorities. Explicit choices need to be made about ‘worst case’ emissions scenarios as they can influence strongly estimated changes in risk: the increase in risk with RCP8.5 can be considerably higher than with a pathway reaching 4 °C by 2100.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2020.100265
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Hydro-climate Risks (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2212-0963
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	climate risk, heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfire, adaptation, resilience, UKCP18
NORA Subject Terms:	Meteorology and Climatology
Date made live:	31 Dec 2020 15:04 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529318

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2020.100265

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Hydro-climate Risks (Science Area 2017-)

ISSN:

2212-0963

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

Additional Keywords:

climate risk, heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfire, adaptation, resilience, UKCP18