Come rain or shine: How UK businesses can support a more resilient UK economy

04 November 2026 - The Corporate Leaders Group UK (CLG UK) has published a policy engagement guide for its members, providing a comprehensive resource for UK businesses to understand, implement and champion climate adaptation policy.

Climate change is no longer a future risk; the impacts of rising temperatures are being felt in the UK now, with associated impacts on businesses and the economy. Recent years have seen record-breaking heatwaves, extended droughts and severe flooding, exposing severe vulnerabilities within the UK’s infrastructure, supply chains and communities. Evidence is mounting of the financial impact of this, with estimates suggesting that extreme weather events could lead to annual costs ranging between £60 billion and £260 billion. For businesses, this translates into direct financial and operational losses and rising risks from the physical impacts of extreme weather.

To deliver the levels of adaptation and resilience needed requires engagement with the UK’s complex climate adaptation policy landscape. There remain, however, several systemic barriers. Additionally, there is no one simple measure of adaptation, which looks different in different parts of the country, different sectors of the economy and depending on organisations’ risk appetite. Businesses using their collective voice can help overcome these structural barriers, delivering a more robust, stable and investable policy environment.

This policy engagement guide, modelled on the frameworks established by the UK Corporate Leaders Group (CLG UK), has been designed specifically for CLG UK members, identifying the specific, systemic policy levers that UK businesses must advocate for to ensure long-term competitiveness, supply chain security and societal resilience in a rapidly warming world.

To learn more about CLG UK and access this guide, please contact clg@cisl.cam.ac.uk for more information.