In a joint letter to the UK Government, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and Climate Change Committee (CCC) have urged ministers to take action to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure services to climate change effects.

The advisory bodies outlined five steps to accelerate national adaptation planning to protect key networks, including setting clear and measurable goals for resilience, ensuring standards are developed in time to inform forthcoming regulatory price control periods and embedding resilience in infrastructure planning.

With record-breaking storms and temperatures already causing disruption to energy and transport networks, urgent action is needed to protect the UK’s economic prosperity, the NIC and the CCC have said.

The organisations said: “Record-breaking storms and temperatures in 2022 brought widespread disruption to energy and transport networks, with substantial impacts for people living and working across the UK.

“As the climate continues to change, these impacts are likely to intensify. We urge you to develop more effective plans to improve the resilience of infrastructure, which is so critical to the UK’s economic prosperity.”

ELN has approached the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for comment.