Adapt or die – innovation to help us live with climate change

Most of our efforts to date have been directed at halting the growing signs and impacts of climate change. That – as the Government’s independent advisor, the Climate Change Committee, is flagging up urgently – is not enough. We must learn to live with what we cannot stop. Green-tech has a major role to play in the second chapter of the global warming playbook – adaptation.

News (see below) –

We look at innovation and adaptation links. ♦ Plus key concerns, opportunities, opinions, and suggestions raised by RedCAT Network members ahead of our autumn report to the Net Zero Council and Secretary of State for Energy on removing commercialisation barriers for UK low carbon technologies.

Meanwhile, there are fewer than 100 days to go to COP30 in Brazil a decade after the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement. ♦ 2025 COP challenges include securing climate finance for Global South adaptation, the low-carbon energy transition, and energy security. ♦ Global cooperation appears to be falling. ♦  However, many companies are ‘greenhushing’ – disguising their green credentials ♦ A RedCAT trade mission with Northwest companies will be going to Brazil to make a strong ‘green’ case. ♦ Next month we will look at COP30 issues and opportunities.

– Green-tech offers vital innovation solutions

It is unusual to read the first two chapters of a book at the same time … while simultaneously opening up the third.

However, as the very real impacts of climate change become increasingly obvious with heatwaves in Europe and floods in Asia – and Texas – this is what we must do … but are not doing well at the moment.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) says the UK is ill-prepared and it is time for urgent action.

– Halt it, live with it, or bounce back quickly

Chapter one is about mitigation – reducing the severity of bad weather. That to date has been the UK’s primary focus. Chapter two is about adaptation – learning to live with conditions we can no longer change. Chapter three, resilience, is about bouncing back from difficult circumstances and even growing stronger in the process.

Green-tech solutions can help at every stage. Helpfully, many are, or will be, important at all three. Which is why the commercialisation of innovative climate-tech breakthroughs is so important. And why sourcing the capital to finance them at a local, national, and global scale is urgent and vital.

Fortunately, many breakthroughs made by RedCAT innovators and entrepreneurs apply to all three chapters. With Government support, more waiting in the pipeline can be commercialised and commissioned.

We will examine this in more detail soon.

– RedCAT innovators’ many small advances with big implications

“As explained below, the CCC has highlighted an uncomfortable truth that should be obvious to us all. We seem to be blinkered to the fact that adaptation as a defence against climate change is now inevitable and must be our first future port of call,” says RedCAT CEO, Prof. Miranda Barker OBE DL.

Fortunately, climate-tech solutions devised by RedCAT innovators address at least one – and in many cases all three phases – of our mitigation-adaptation-resilience response to climate change.

Three of many that immediately spring to mind are: – THRIVE (‘Biotech that cleans, clears & restores’), Organic Heat Exchangers (O-Hx), and Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS).

Triple triumphs

♦ THRIVE tackles hygiene problems with powerful, biological, low-cost, sustainable cleaning and waste remediation solutions that mitigate odours, deep clean, unblock drains, and dissolve limescale.

Through advances in biotechnology, environmental sciences and formulation chemistry, it researches, develops, and assesses the behaviour of microbes in water and soil – leading to innovative natural solutions that prevent pollution and remove pollutants from natural ecosystems.

♦ Circa 10% of global electrical energy powers industrial cooling for chilled warehouses, pharmaceutical manufacturers, food manufacturing, and data centres – and could reach 25% with global warming. As an adaptation measure, O-Hx’s EnergiVault system can move refrigeration’s high energy demand to more economic off-peak periods, with long-term storing of valuable ‘cold energy’. The UK, EU and USA commercial value of cold energy storage is some £7 billion.

♦ Resilience utilises rapid recovery solutions to overcome and shortcut adverse environmental challenges. By 3D printing with recycled ‘critical minerals’ in the circular economy, AMS boosts UK defence, aerospace and automotive industry security as exotic metal supplies are increasingly compromised by global trade wars. CEO Rob Higham believes technologies developed by his Lancashire-based company can solve a significant UK problem. Many authoritative figures agree with him.

RedCAT innovators have already taken 46 new products and services to market successfully via the unique RedCAT commercialisation route. We will look closely at some of these in the coming months.

– Turning the page – or several pages

So far, the world’s fightback against increasingly obvious extreme weather events has been about Chapter one – eliminating or minimising root causes behind floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and rising sea levels. However, as the Climate Change Committee (CCC) points out, the war cannot be waged on that front alone.

The CCC says we must put an equal and greater effort into adaptation as the evidence mounts that traditional seasons may be changing permanently. And it is not too early to consider resilient solutions too.

New man at the top

Under the newly-announced chairmanship of Nigel Topping – who is a supporter and friend of RedCAT as is CEO Emma Pinchbeck – CCC will be forcefully pushing forward a practical adaptation agenda – which RedCAT in return will support actively.

Must try much harder!

Unfortunately – for now at least – that is where the good news is in abeyance.

Being optimistic on principle, it is also an environmental, political, and business opportunity with export potential to help resolve the damaging effects of global warming overseas.

UK not prepared for climate impacts – CCC

The CCC says it is clear climate change is making extreme UK weather more likely and extreme with heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and wildfire-conducive conditions. Basically. the UK is not properly prepared and worse will happen if no action is taken.

More than half England’s best agricultural land now faces flooding risks, with more expected by 2050. This is a major threat to UK biodiversity which is already degrading rapidly. Circa 6.3 million English properties face river, sea, and surface water flooding – and could rise to one in four by 2050. Rising sea levels will increase coastal flooding risks and coastal erosion.

In addition, more than a third of railway and road kilometres are at flood risk – this could rise to near 50% by 2050. Thousands of heat-related deaths occur each year – and could pass 10,000 by 2050.

Knock-on economic effects

Crucially, UK GDP could fall by up to 7% by 2050, making it hard to sustain long-term growth, thereby further inhibiting our ability to fight back effectively.

As Baroness Brown, Chair of the CCC Adaptation Committee, put it, “We have seen in the last couple of years that the country is not prepared for the impacts of climate change. We know there is worse to come, and we are not ready – indeed in many areas we are not even planning to be ready.”

Finger of blame

She continues, “Ineffective and outdated ways of working within Government are holding back the country’s ability to be future-fit. Is this Government going to face up to the reality of our situation? Failing to act will impact every family and every person in the country.”

Adaptation Committee

The Adaptation Committee reviews UK adaptation progress every two years. Most 2025 assessments achieved the same low scores as 2023. Not a single outcome was rated as ‘good’.

The report assesses progress of the UK’s Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) and UK  readiness for climate change. It conclusions are that preparations are inadequate, piecemeal, disjointed. too slow, have stalled, or are heading in the wrong direction. As such, the Government must act without further delay to improve the national approach to climate resilience.

However, a new approach is still possible it says if the Government and organisations working with it act urgently on four joined-up key areas: – improving objectives and targets while also improving coordination across government. They must also integrate adaptation into all relevant policies and adding monitoring, evaluation and learning from regular data collection and reporting.

Chapter three

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) wants the UK Government to mandate climate adaptation measures in urban planning because of recent hot weather which analysis suggests was made 100 times more likely by global warming.

It also sets out its UK Climate Resilience Roadmap with the key messages: – be aware and educated, anticipate, prepare and adapt, and sustain resilience.

Climate adaptation sales worth $4 trillion by 2050

A report carried by Bloomberg on the American side of the Pond predicts huge revenues as climate adaptation become a ‘complementary and increasingly investable part of the broader climate response’ and investors look beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions in favour of protecting assets against extreme weather impacts. But more finance is essential.

It notes climate adaptation “will need to scale across all levels of society, from governments and businesses to communities and households.” Backup power systems, wind-resistant building materials, indoor cooling, and weather intelligence sectors are expected to see rising revenues.

Adaptation is “… likely to deliver stronger returns than mitigation strategies which currently attract the vast majority of climate finance, with potentially less exposure to political tensions associated with emissions cutting.”

… and would like the Government to know

– Breaking down barriers

Last month we looked at key issues raised in a presentation by RedCAT CEO Prof. Miranda Barker OBE DL to the DESNZ Net Zero Council Delivery Group that the Government could implement to turn a rapidly expanding green-tech sector into even more of a primary UK growth driver.

Because one of the delivery group roles is to provide information, Miranda was also able make an overture presentation of RedCAT’s proposals directly to the Net Zero Council.

A full report will be developed and finalised through summer 2025. When complete it will go to the Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband, who is expecting it. Miranda will also make a presentation to the Net Zero Council in September.

– Inside track Northwest opinions

This month, as Part Two of our interim coverage, we thought you would like brief insights into concerns raised by members and guests at our June RedCAT Network meeting. The condensed comments below provide a snapshot of some key concerns, opportunities, and suggestions.

Names of individuals and companies have not been included. However, if key points raised strike a bell with anyone and you would like us to discuss them further, do please contact Jamie. All views are very welcome.

– More issues for the Government to consider

Tax claim backlogs – extra administration pressures …

Changes to R&D tax claims have created a backlog. Cash runways is an issue. Additional administration is putting massive pressure on innovative businesses. Further changes could add more businesses to the backlog. ♦ VCs are still affected by the 2021 boom and later fall in deal flows & returns.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) – aka Life Cycle Assessment – capability is needed …

LCA is used to evaluate entire lifecycle environmental impacts of products, processes, or services, from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling. ♦ LCA helps to identify environmental hotspots and guides decision-making towards more sustainable practices. ♦ A national LCA capability is needed to link silos across Britain from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling.

Credible numbers – knowledge gap …

The challenge is being able to give business/investment cases credible sets of numbers; key metrics are often not suitably evidence-based. ♦ Until recently the UK has lacked a centre of excellence within universities. ♦ Perhaps this should be highlighted as a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) priority – a fundamental capability across innovation, ventures, etc. ♦ UK is moving in the right direction. ♦ However, it currently has a national capability gap. ♦ We also need to ‘run the numbers’.

Carbon accounting – a standardised framework is needed …

Quantity surveyors in construction can access a carbon database. ♦ Real carbon savings are only possible when working across various net zero silos, sectors, and geographic groupings. ♦  From a tech viewpoint of view, this is about modelling and understanding system boundaries. ♦ For example, replacing glass fibres in composites with flacks. Running the numbers, glass fibre has unexpectedly lower emissions when all scope emissions are considered. ♦ The Government needs to initiate a national carbon accounting framework standardised (within reason) across all sectors.

Urgently funding policy changes needed for scaling and to beat competitors …

One company which says it was well funded by Innovate UK and has developed and trialled net zero technologies across a number of Innovate UK projects. ♦ There are massive emerging markets opportunities through agri-waste. ♦ A massive scale up is needed for the company’s technology. ♦ It is currently inundated with requests for its tech. ♦ The missing the final jigsaw piece is funding to scale and sell its products. ♦ It is in danger of missing major opportunities to foreign competitors.

It notes that fugitive methane is 90+ times more harmful to the climate than CO₂ over a 20-year window. ♦ As such, methane must be a COP low hanging fruit priority to reduce climate change.

It also notes that harvesting biogas from waste and using it for power is an easy win to slow climate change if solutions are deployed at scale.

With UK Government public funding, the company has developed and trialled in global markets a world first biogas generator solution to help millions of off-grid farmers in emerging economies convert their waste into clean power. ♦ It can also help to solve the access-to-energy crisis by displacing expensive diesel with ‘free’ biogas from waste with enough electricity to power farms.

Government funding has helped to develop world-first technology. ♦ But there is no follow-on mechanism to support the financial development and growth of a business that says it will create a UK global lead in fast-developing markets, generate huge carbon savings, and provide energy access and UK influence in disadvantaged communities.

Cultural change – accepting responsibility for net zero targets …

Cultural change is needed, particularly from public sector and arms-length bodies like United Utilities and the Department for Education. ♦ Higher level accountability must improve at this level. ♦  Saying net zero policy is a tier 1 supplier responsibility is a cop out leading to targets being missed.

Insufficient capital – different funding criteria at difference times …

There is not enough capital for all innovations in the present system. ♦ Different funders may give different things at different times. One financial services company that supports startups and SMEs says for every £1 it invests £4 is invested elsewhere. ♦ But Mansion House reviews mean the tide is turning. ♦ This could lead to more funding capacity in the next two years.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is rearranging itself to focus more on investment. ♦ It is talking to agencies across the North. ♦ Change is likely to be at a Northern level rather than county. ♦ But an increased focus on investment ‘is coming’.

Skills – local improvement plans, red tape, policy mandates …

The employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) aims to align post-16 technical education and training with local business needs and the broader economy by ensuring training providers deliver courses addressing skills gaps identified in a specific area. ♦ Bootcamp programmes coming out of this are ‘really positive’. ♦ Businesses struggle with red tape when looking for new skills – particularly from the Department for Education. ♦ Policy mandates to improve the workforce skills base in line with current and future economic demands should also meet the needs of the local ecosystem.

Nationally policy determined by elections – responding to public opinion …

Businesses may miss the point that government policy is determined by election. ♦ More anti net-zero than pro net-zero noise in politics and the media may affect future funding. ♦ The county authority now has a Reform majority. ♦ There could be dangers for the Government in responding to public opinion. ♦ It is important to improve the understanding of what green-tech or climate-tech is capable and what the end outcome will be.

Funding complexities …

A challenge is the complexity and inconsistency of funding routes, particularly within schemes tied to retrofit and low-carbon technologies. ♦ The evolving nature of compliance frameworks like PAS 2035 also presented a significant barrier to pace and scalability for SMEs without large resources.

One answer is to prioritise quality, compliance, and collaboration from the outset ♦ – while investing early in upskilling, building a fully-accredited team, ♦ – forming strategic public and private sector partnerships ♦ – and keeping a clear focus on measurable outcomes like energy savings, improved living standards, and carbon reduction, to build trust and driving sustainable growth.