LONDON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Action in Britain to curb greenhouse gas emissions is lagging far behind what is needed, a new official report on climate change said Wednesday.
Over the past year, the British government has delivered just one of 25 critical policies needed to get emissions reductions back on track, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said in its latest report.
Britain has legislated for net-zero emissions by 2050, and now the UK government must show it is serious about its legal obligations to tackle and prepare for climate change, the committee said.
Action to prepare British homes, businesses and natural environment for a warming world is less ambitious than it was ten years ago, the report added.
Of 33 key sectors assessed by the committee, none showed good progress when it comes to managing climate change risk. The Committee's report found that government plans to deal with climate change impacts are insufficient in critical areas such as the natural environment, health, and business.
Julia King, chair of the CCC's Adaptation Committee, said: "The UK is not ready for the impacts of climate change, even at the minimum expected level of global warming."
In King's view, the government is not yet addressing adequately all of the climate risks it has itself identified as critical, including from surface water flooding and the impacts of high temperatures on health.
"Citizens, homes, workplaces and critical infrastructure must be prepared for a future with unavoidable climate impacts. The effects of climate change are already being felt in the UK," she added.
