We badly need calm national conversation

YOUR readers may be interested to hear of the latest Climate Change Committee report on preparedness to deal with the impact of climate change.

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Concerns include steadily increasing exposure to heatwaves and drought, flooding and fire risk up to 2050, not so far off.

For example, over half of England's best agricultural land is already at risk of serious flooding. An extra 1.7 million properties are expected to be at risk. Coastal erosion is speeding up. We have an ageing population, and at the same time the death rate from heat among the elderly will reach 10,000 per year.

The resulting overall cost of climate change will reach around 7 per cent of our economy, almost twice the long-term hit from leaving the European Union.