Climate Science and Services in the UK
In 2022 the Cabinet Office undertook a statutory Post-Implementation Review of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). The review recommended that the Met Office be granted Category 2 Responder status. This was duly actioned, in recognition of the essential role that they play in national resilience, and as the official source of weather warnings during severe and extreme weather events. In addition, the Met Office is also a critical part of the nation’s planning and response to the climate emergency. In this article Met Office Climate Science Communicator, Lizzie Fuller, explains the part that they play in providing science to inform climate change adaptation, mitigation and the emergency response to climate related impacts.
Climate change in the UK
We are already experiencing the effects of our changing climate, with the world now around 1.25°C warmer than before the industrial revolution. Extreme weather events around the world are becoming more frequent, more intense and lasting longer. In 2022, temperatures reached over 40°C in the UK which would have been virtually impossible without climate change. The heatwave had impacts on public health, infrastructure, and the environment – and is just one example of an extreme weather event we must be prepared to experience more frequently in the future. In the UK, these changes in extreme weather are part of a transition to warmer, wetter winters, and hotter, drier summers.
Addressing climate change
Mitigation and adaptation are required together to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events. Mitigation refers to actions taken to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the amount of future climate change. Adaptation refers to actions taken to limit the impacts of a changing climate. Mitigation and adaptation together provide co-benefits for other environmental and social goals.
Sidelights
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Climate mitigation refers to actions taken to limit the amount of future climate change. e.g. reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate adaptation refers to actions taken to limit the impacts of a changing climate, e.g. increased flooding. |
Climate Science and Services
The Met Office, as the UK’s national meteorological service, plays a vital role in providing high-quality weather and climate information and advice to support UK resilience across government, businesses and the public. We are also a world-leader in climate science and services, with the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services providing trusted scientific advice on climate hazards and risk, to inform decisions from a season ahead, out to decades ahead. This information is essential for informing adaptation action, at global, national and local scales. We are also in a unique position to bridge across weather and climate timescales, setting information on future climate change within the context of present-day experiences. Met Office science has informed the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), which evaluates the most urgent risks and opportunities for the UK from climate change, as well as the UK’s National Adaptation Programme (NAP), which sets out the government’s priorities and actions for adaptation.
Some of the Met Office’s climate services include:
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The National Climate Information Centre (NCIC), which monitors and analyses the UK’s climate records, trends and extremes.
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The UK Climate Projections (UKCP), which explore how the UK climate may change over the next century.
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The Climate Data Portal (CDP), which provides access to climate information which can be combined with other types of information, allowing organisations to add their own data assets to assess local risks.
Responding to extreme weather impacts
In advance of, and during, extreme weather, we also play a crucial role in helping people prepare for potential impacts. We provide short and medium-term weather forecasts, issue severe weather warnings and provide the resilience community with weather-related advice through our Civil Contingencies Advisors. We support the National Security Risk Assessment and have ownership responsibilities for several weather-related risks. We also became a Category 2 Responder in 2022, reflecting our vital contribution as the UK’s national weather service to national resilience. We also work closely with businesses to unlock the potential of new science and technology and provide operational and consulting solutions to industry challenges, including with aviation, water and energy sectors. Through these roles, we provide crucial advice and support when it comes to saving lives and protecting property and the economy during times of extreme weather. Our latest advice on weather extremes and climate change follows this article.
Looking ahead
The Met Office continue to work with expert partners across the science community to develop the latest scientific understanding of weather and climate. This enables us to continue to strengthening capability and target key gaps in scientific understanding, or areas where further research may be especially valuable.
Author: Lizzie Fuller, Met Office Climate Science Communicator
Article taken from Issue 4 of the UK Resilience Lessons Digest, for all referencing and original article see the Lessons Digest here.
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