The future of the coastline, countryside and historic buildings protected by the National Trust will be threatened by extreme weather without urgent and large-scale action, a report has found.
The National Trust said more than 70% of the places it looks after will be at medium or high risk of climate-related hazards by 2060, making climate change the biggest threat it faces.
The conservation charity highlighted short-term challenges caused by flooding, wildfires, drought and coastal erosion, and long-term threats resulting from more extreme weather, which will increase humidity, making it more difficult to care for artworks, and threaten habitats.
Its new report, ‘A Climate for Change: Adaptation and the National Trust’, sets out how it will seek to tackle the climate and nature crises.
National Trust director general Hilary McGrady said: ‘Earlier scientific predictions of more extreme weather conditions are now more frequently coming to pass.
‘While we cannot fully mitigate this change, we can collectively help protect ourselves and the places we care for by taking steps to adapt.’
The charity urged the Government to introduce legislation that recognises the importance of adapting buildings, coastlines and countryside to cope with the impacts of climate change.
It also called for a 'Climate Resilience Act', with clear legal duties and targets for adaptation, and a new dedicated minister.
