It is our job to protect Britain from climate change, and Britain needs a reality check on the flooding to come

Our coastline is moving inland. Flooding is becoming more frequent. The costs of managing flooding and coastal change are increasing. Depending on where you live, you may be blissfully unaware, but the impacts of global warming are creating a new normal right here, right now.

This week’s stark warning by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the growing risk of extreme sea-level events makes it clear: Business as usual is no longer a credible response. But how do we ensure our nation responds to the climate threat of rising seas and increased flood risk?

There is no single answer, but we need bold ideas to inspire innovation beyond what people think is possible. We also need an acceptance of the realities we face.

A nationwide standard of flood resilience – as recommended in the National Infrastructure Assessment – would improve the capacity of people and places to live with, recover from and adapt to flooding and coastal change.

It would also support a more prosperous economy. The costs of making our homes, businesses and infrastructure more resilient to a changing climate would be far smaller than the considerable damage that flooding and coastal change could cause in the future.

Global overheating is already changing our weather and increasing our risks of flooding. In the UK, we need to plan for at least a one-metre rise in sea level by 2100, according to the latest UK climate projections. And in all future climate scenarios, we will experience a continued rise in sea level well into the next century.

And so, at the same time as pursuing things like the government’s admirable commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, we must improve our resilience to the consequences that are already embedded in our future.

In other words, we can’t prevent all flooding and coastal change. But we can manage it better than our current approach, which is shaped by flood events in the past.

Instead, we need to support communities to better plan and – in some cases – adapt to future flooding and coastal change.

We are used to flood defences focused on protection in the UK, but the Environment Agency’s latest proposed strategy seeks to move us on to one of protection plus resilience. We have a world-class track record of delivering high-quality flood and coastal defences, but we cannot build our way out of future climate risks in many places.

The UK’s toolkit for achieving climate-resilient places needs to be broader. We need to steer development to the lowest flood-risk areas and work with natural processes, for example, to slow the flow of floodwaters.

We have to get better at responding to flood and coastal incidents – such as those we’ve seen this week – through timely and effective forecasting and warning, as well as getting people back to “normal” as quickly as possible by clearing up or building back better after a flood.

And we need a funding programme that will enable efficient planning and delivery of work to address the risks from all sources of flooding.

As the chairs of our respective bodies, we are at the front line of making the UK “climate-proof”. We recognise this needs bold and transformative action if we’re to do our part in becoming a climate-resilient nation. The government’s National Infrastructure Strategy must demonstrate its commitment to precisely that approach.

Our nation needs a common goal if we are to be better prepared for future flooding and coastal change. A nationwide flood resilience standard is the way to achieve this.

Emma Howard Boyd is chair of the Environment Agency. Sir John Armitt is chair of the National Infrastructure Commission.