Issue Chronic risks as slow erosion that amplifies acute risks

Summary

The UK government's Chronic Risks Analysis argues that, beyond acute risks, the country faces a set of chronic risks that gradually wear away its economy, communities, way of life and national security. These risks do damage in their own right and also act as amplifiers, making acute events that call for an emergency response from the civil contingencies system more frequent and more severe. The report offers climate change, which is raising the likelihood and impact of severe weather, and antimicrobial resistance, which worsens the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, as leading examples. It therefore stresses the growing need to view the risk landscape through the lens of long-term, interlinked challenges. The analysis is meant to be used alongside the National Risk Register, the government's main assessment of acute risks, so that immediate risks and future drivers can be understood together.