UK auditors flag gaps in reporting on extreme weather risks — The Japan Times

In the United Kingdom, the National Audit Office said that extreme weather events are already having a noticeable impact on public finances and the operation of railways, prisons and healthcare systems. At the same time, the full scale of the damage is difficult to assess because many government departments do not provide the data needed for proper risk analysis, The Japan Times reports.

Departments disclose risks for the first time

This is the first year in which major UK government departments are required to disclose full information on risks related to global warming. According to the National Audit Office, in many cases work to study such threats is only at an early stage.

Gareth Davies, head of the office, stressed that Parliament needs clear information on the resilience of infrastructure, service delivery and public finances under climate change, as well as on the management of these risks. Such disclosures should help lawmakers assess the preparedness of public services for the effects of extreme weather.

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Flooding and heat affect infrastructure

Flooding was the most common threat in the reporting analysed by the office. Some 89% of prisons face a high risk of flooding, while 391 flooding incidents were recorded at National Health Service facilities in 2024–2025.

The office also noted that periods of intense heat have already damaged roads and railways, while in summer they made temperatures in schools and hospitals dangerously high. Flooding, meanwhile, is becoming more frequent and causing increasing damage to critical infrastructure, including the rail network. Among the consequences of overheating in prisons, auditors cited a trend toward rising violence.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the UK Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, said the government still has much to do, particularly in setting meaningful targets. In his view, Parliament and the public should know not only the list of risks but also the government's level of preparedness to manage them.