Extreme Weather In UK

UK is experiencing hotter heatwaves as well as periods of intense rainfall and flooding. The Climate Change Committee reports that 2025 was the UK’s hottest year on record, while early 2026 brought exceptionally wet conditions and flooding in parts of UK Wildfires are another visible impact. Hotter and drier conditions can increase wildfire risk, affecting communities, agriculture, wildlife and air quality. The CCC says the UK experienced its most destructive wildfire season on record in 2025.

Climate change affects communities directly. Heat, flooding and drought can damage homes, roads and infrastructure, reduce agricultural productivity and create health risks. By 2050, without sufficient adaptation, the CCC estimates that 92% of existing UK homes could be at risk of overheating, while peak river flows could be up to 45% higher.

The UK remains committed to Net Zero. The legally binding target is to reach Net Zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, with interim carbon budgets designed to keep the country moving towards that goal.

But is Net Zero actually a reality? There has been genuine progress: UK emissions were about 50% below 1990 levels in 2025, and emissions have fallen for eleven consecutive years excluding the pandemic period. However, the CCC says there are still significant gaps, particularly in delivering the reductions needed by 2030.

Oil and gas creates a contradiction. The UK is trying to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels while continuing to debate and develop North Sea oil and gas resources. This creates concerns about whether government policy is consistent with its Net Zero ambitions.

Young people are particularly concerned about the future. Climate change is not only an environmental issue; it is also about uncertainty over where the world is heading. Young people can reasonably ask whether governments are doing enough now to protect their future, rather than leaving them to deal with greater climate risks later.

The key question is therefore: Is Net Zero simply a political target, or is it becoming a reality that will genuinely change the way people live, travel, heat their homes and produce energy?

Conclusion
The evidence suggests that Net Zero is possible, but it is not guaranteed. The UK has made substantial progress in cutting emissions, but the latest assessment from the CCC says that action remains too slow in several areas and that there are significant gaps to close before 2030.

young people’s anxiety is not simply about climate change itself; it is about the gap between what governments promise for 2050 and what they actually deliver today.

Rizwan Wahab
WFSLM – Climate change and Sustainability Wing