Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires — SkimNews
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- Defra has only 20 of its 6,613 staff (0.3%) working on climate adaptation, according to FOI data obtained by environmental writer Guy Shrubsole.
- The Climate Change Committee has warned that peak river flows could rise 45% and water supply shortfalls could exceed 5 billion litres daily, with the annual cost of failing to adapt projected at 1-5% of UK GDP (£60bn-£260bn) by 2050.
- Shrubsole called on new environment secretary Angela Eagle to seize the moment amid heatwaves and wildfires to dramatically boost staffing and funding for climate adaptation.
- The Wildlife Trusts and leading environmental NGOs are challenging Burnham's first 100 days in office, demanding that ecological restoration—rewetting bogs and natural flood defences—be treated as national security.
- Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright is calling for 5,000 more firefighters, noting the UK has recorded 966 wildfires this year, including 458 in July alone, and lacks any dedicated fixed-wing water-bombing aircraft.
- Friends of the Earth head of policy Mike Childs urged the government to tackle the cause of climate change, not just the consequences, by accelerating clean energy and ruling out new oil and gas developments like Rosebank and Jackdaw.
- A Defra spokesperson defended the department's record, citing £10.5 billion invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes by March 2036 and nine new reservoirs under construction.
- No 10 announced Burnham would chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 33C that day and up to 38C on Thursday.
Why it matters: With just 20 officials dedicated to climate adaptation inside Defra, the UK government faces a stark capacity gap given the Climate Change Committee's projection of up to £260bn in annual economic damage by 2050 from unchecked climate impacts—while the country is already experiencing 966 wildfires in a single year and preparing for another heatwave.
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