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Increased reliance on net-zero electricity and the impacts of climate change pose a major risk to national security, a report by MPs and colleagues warned.
Rising temperatures will cause power cables to deteriorate, roads to soften and signaling equipment to fail, while storms could destroy overhead power lines, the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy (JCNSS) said.
Around eight per cent of the UK’s transport network is at risk of disruption from flood-induced landslides, which could also disrupt other critical infrastructure, including water and energy supplies, the report added.
Meanwhile, increasing reliance on electricity to achieve net zero makes the power system more vulnerable to disruptions from extreme weather due to increased reliance on overhead cables rather than underground pipes.
‘Get a good grip’
The JCNSS called on the government to “get a good grip” on the risks posed to the UK’s critical infrastructure and criticized the failure to appoint a single minister to oversee climate change adaptation.
It said there was “overwhelming evidence” that the impacts of climate change were already being felt in the UK, highlighting record temperatures of 40.3C during the summer, which caused widespread disruption to the rail network.
“There are many examples of the extremely serious impact climate change has already had on our critical national infrastructure.” And there will certainly be more in the future – almost certainly more serious,” Dame Margaret Beckett, chair of the board, said.
“But what bothers me most is the lack of evidence that anyone in Government is focusing on how all the influences can come together, creating cascading crises.”
“There are simply no ministers with a focused responsibility to ensure our infrastructure is resilient to extreme weather and other effects of climate change.”
“Cascading crises are a great danger”
The report highlighted the impact of Storm Arwen as evidence of increasing risks to infrastructure from climate change. Severe storms are expected to increase as the climate warms.
Major power outages as a result of the storm left some households without access to digital landlines, as well as without the ability to contact emergency services due to poor cell phone signal.
“These cascading crises pose a major threat to the functioning of the UK economy and to society – this is why this is a serious risk to national security,” Ms Beckett said.
“The new prime minister must pull back all parts of government to mitigate potential disasters, including the impacts of climate change.”
“This Government must finally recognize that prevention is better than cure and move on from its dangerously reactive approach to risk management.”
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