ABSTRACT
The UK government issued a report in summer 2008 entitled: Adapting to Climate Change in England: A Framework for Action (Defra).This is a clear statement of the perceived scope of government responsibility in this matter. In his Introduction the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, conceded that:
Even with concerted international action now, we are committed to continued global warming for decades to come.To avoid dangerous climate change we must work, internationally and at home, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even so, we will have to adapt to a warmer climate in the UK with more extreme events including heat waves, storms and floods and more gradual changes, such as the pattern of the seasons.
(Defra, 2008a, pp4–5)