Few Officials Working on Climate Adaptation as Crisis Bites
Just 20 of the roughly 6,600 staff at the environment department are working on adapting the country to a changing climate, according to figures published as drought and wildfires grip England. The disclosure has fuelled criticism that the government is underprepared for the extreme weather now testing its response. Ministers say adaptation is a cross-government effort not captured by a single team’s headcount.
The figure lands awkwardly as ministers convene emergency meetings over heat, drought and fire, inviting the charge that Britain is reacting to climate shocks rather than preparing for them. Adaptation — from water storage and flood defences to heat-resilient housing and infrastructure — is unglamorous, long-term work that rarely commands attention until disaster strikes, and campaigners have long warned it is under-resourced. The government counters that responsibility is spread across departments and agencies, and that headline staff numbers understate the effort. Yet with each record-breaking summer the gap between the scale of the threat and the resources devoted to it grows harder to explain. Watch whether the crisis prompts a rethink of how adaptation is funded and staffed.