Dunwich wildfire shows UK 'not prepared' for climate change, says Green MP
He's calling on the Government to appoint a Climate Adaptation Minister
The Dunwich Heath wildfire has exposed how unprepared the UK is for increasingly extreme weather, according to Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay.
He's calling on the Government to appoint a Climate Adaptation Minister, warning that communities, farmers and emergency services are already facing the effects of a changing climate.
"We're not ready for the changes that are here now"
Speaking after the wildfire that destroyed more than 100 hectares of protected heathland at Dunwich Heath and RSPB Minsmere, Mr Ramsay said: "It's crystal clear that we're in a new climate reality."
""We've had other wildfires in our region and around the country...We've seen four heatwaves this summer where in May and June alone, 2,700 people lost their lives due to the extreme heat.
"So yes, of course, we've got to be asking: this is the new climate reality and are we prepared for it?"
He said the answer was clear.
"We're not ready for the changes that are here now, let alone the worst ones that are coming down the track if we don't get climate change under control," he said.
"So that's why I want to see a climate adaptation minister to drive action in government and across government to step up to these huge challenges that we're undoubtedly facing."
Mr Ramsay said adapting to climate change was no longer something for the future, arguing communities were already experiencing its effects.
"The frustrating thing is that this is something that's been talked about for decades, both the need to dramatically reduce our emissions to avoid the very worst effects of climate breakdown, but also how we adapt to the changes that are already happening," he said.
"90% of our homes will overheat by the middle of the century"
He warned that homes, infrastructure and public services all needed to become more resilient.
"If you look at our homes and buildings, for example, it's clear that 90% of our homes will overheat by the middle of the century if climate change carries on as it is.
"We've got to take action to support people to get our homes adapted, make sure we've got cool spaces in our communities so people can stay cool.
"We can address the very real health effects of overheating."
"Farmers are going to need far more support"
Mr Ramsay also said farmers across East Anglia were already seeing the consequences of hotter, drier conditions.
"I'm speaking to farmers all the time and what they're telling me is they've had their earliest ever harvests, that they're harvesting grain which has to be artificially cooled because it's got so hot," he said.
"We are losing our opportunities for food production, reducing our food security as a country at a time when we need to be increasing it in an unstable world."
He added: "Farmers are going to need far more support.
"We need to take far more action to make our country more resilient, more food secure and things are going in the wrong direction."
He said responsibility for adapting to climate change stretched far beyond environmental policy.
"It's about our food, it's about our emergency services, our transport infrastructure, our water systems," he said.
"Every aspect of society needs to be properly prepared for these changes and we're just not prepared at the moment."
Referring directly to the wildfire at Dunwich Heath, Mr Ramsay said: "We've had the devastating wildfire at Dunwich Heath.
Government response
Mr Ramsay called on the Government to put climate adaptation "front and centre" of its agenda, arguing that reducing emissions and preparing communities for more extreme weather needed to happen alongside one another.
A Defra spokesperson said:
"The government has committed to strengthening our approach to climate adaptation and to building our resilience to our changing climate.
“We are helping the farming sector to be prepared for future climate shocks through our farming schemes, the new Farming Roadmap and our work with the National Drought Group.”
Climate change:
On behalf of government, Defra will publish its next Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in January 2027.
The advice from the Climate Change Committee will be used to inform both the CCRA and the development of a fourth National Adaptation Programme, which will be laid before parliament in due course.
Defra and the Met Office have launched the Local Authority Climate Service which provides local authorities with easy access to tailored information on climate change to support change adaptation planning.
On housing:
We’re helping to fix overheating homes by helping more people get air-to-air heat pumps which can cool homes more easily and cheaply.
This is alongside making sure new homes reduce the risk of overheating through building regulations, and exploring plans to clamp down on the most serious excess heat in social and private rented homes through Awaab’s Law.
This Government is investing at least £10.5 billion by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and repair existing defences. This record investment will benefit nearly 900,000 properties.
Farming and drought:
Through changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, we are making it easier for farmers and rural businesses to build the infrastructure they need.
We are also making it easier to use existing Permitted Development Rights through clearer guidance and are working with the Environment Agency to speed up the provision of Abstraction Licences for farm reservoir projects.
The government is committed to strong domestic food production and ensuring agricultural water supplies remain secure to allow this.
We are strengthening the sector's role in water resources planning, with farmers and growers forming water abstractor groups and undertaking screening studies to identify local resource options.
Over the past two years, this programme has completed 33 projects involving more than 170 farms, with 10 already progressing towards implementation outside EA or Defra funding. And the third round of Local Resource Options Screening Study applications opened on 25 May 2026.
Updated On-Farm Reservoir Guidance has recently been published, with support from the Environment Agency and project partners.
Separately, MHCLG are also finalising updated planning practice guidance, to provide clarity around some of the key misunderstandings raised by stakeholders in relation to the limits and conditions that apply to the agricultural Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) including on-farm reservoirs.