英国环境、食品和农村事务部（Defra）6,613名员工中仅有20人从事气候适应工作，占比0.3%[1]。这一数字曝光之际，英国正经历第五轮热浪、创纪录野火和广泛干旱[1]。气候变化适应委员会警告，英国在应对全球变暖影响方面存在严重不足，到2050年适应不力的经济成本可能达每年600亿至2600亿英镑，相当于国内生产总值的1-5%[1]。
委员会预测英国面临的气候风险日益加剧，河流峰值流量可能增加45%，日均供水短缺可能超过50亿升[1]。这些预警正在变成现实——2024年英国野火数创纪录，共发生966场，仅7月就有458场[1]。消防部队在应对这些灾害时面临装备短缺，英国缺乏欧洲消防员拥有的关键设备，没有专用固定翼水轰炸机或专业空中灭火飞机[1]。消防部队总书记Steve Wright呼吁增加5000名消防员[1]。随着英国预报气温达33°C，周四最高可能达38°C[1]，首相宣布Andy Burnham将主持紧急Cobra会议应对极端高温[1]。
Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has only 20 employees dedicated to climate adaptation work out of its 6,613-strong workforce, representing just 0.3 percent of staff [1]. This minimal commitment to adaptation comes as the UK experiences its fifth heatwave of 2024, record-breaking wildfires, and widespread drought conditions [1].
The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the country faces severe consequences for inadequate climate preparation [1]. Peak river flows could increase by 45 percent, while daily water supply shortages may exceed 5 billion liters [1]. The economic cost of poor adaptation by 2050 could range from £600 billion to £2.6 trillion annually [1]. Britain's wildfire crisis has intensified dramatically, with 966 fires recorded in 2024, including 458 occurring in July alone [1]. The country lacks critical firefighting equipment that European counterparts possess, including dedicated fixed-wing water-bombing aircraft and specialized aerial firefighting planes [1].
Steve Wright, the Fire Brigades Union general secretary, has called for an increase of 5,000 firefighters to address the escalating crisis [1]. Temperatures are forecast to reach 33°C, with highs of 38°C expected on Thursday [1]. In response to the extreme conditions, the Prime Minister announced that Andy Burnham would chair an emergency Cobra meeting to address the dangerous heat [1].