Met Office partners with British Red Cross to help UK communities prepare for climate risks

The partnership brings together two organisations united by a shared commitment to supporting communities in times of need, enhancing resilience in the face of increasing humanitarian and climate related risks. It reflects the Met Office's core values of being a force for good and working better together, whilst aligning closely with the British Red Cross' humanitarian mission to help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

The science is clear that climate change is already increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such has heatwaves and intense rainfall in the UK. These changes bring heightened humanitarian risks such as flooding, heat-related health impacts and potential water scarcity.

The Met Office's climate and weather intelligence, coupled with the British Red Cross' humanitarian reach, aims to help communities be better ready for and recover from these challenges.

Professor Penny Endersby, Met Office Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted to be partnering with the British Red Cross as our chosen charity for the next few years. Their humanitarian mission and values align closely with our own purpose and commitment to helping people stay safe and thrive. This partnership will allow us to combine our expertise, improving community resilience in the face of climate change."

Image: Fabio De Paola/British Red Cross.

Chris Davies, Director of Crisis Response and Community Resilienceat the British Red Cross, said: "We're thrilled to be working with the Met Office. As an organisation with UK wide emergency response operations, Red Cross teams are seeing first-hand that climate related risks in the UK are becoming more frequent and severe.Working together to support more people to understand and act on humanitarian and climate-related issues, will ensure that more people get the help they need when it matters most."

The partnership will build on existing collaboration between the Met Office and British Red Cross in areas such as community resilience, disaster preparedness and humanitarian response, both in the UK and internationally. It will also create new opportunities for Met Office employees to get involved through volunteering, fundraising and awareness-raising activities.

With a strong social purpose and a dedicated contribution to civil society and the community, the Met Office supports civil society through partnerships that make a difference.