14 May 2025
Maryam Arshad, Climate Consultant, Longevity Partners
Temporary fixes, not permanent solutions
As the climate crisis intensifies, the built environment finds itself increasingly vulnerable to acute and chronic risks, such as urban flooding, extreme heat or severe winds. In the face of these growing challenges, property owners and city authorities have turned to stopgap climate adaptation measures to safeguard assets and ensure operational continuity. These temporary solutions, ranging from air conditioning units to portable flood barriers, to diesel generators, are essential in emergency situations. Nevertheless, there is an increasing concern that these quick responses are not only becoming the default option but are also obstructing the shift towards long-term resilience.
Where stopgap measures have failed
Globally, temporary solutions are becoming embedded in everyday responses to climate-related risks. For example, rapid changes in summer temperatures have increased demand for cooling measures in London by 5% each year.[1] Where buildings lack air conditioners as part of their original design, stakeholders are increasingly needing to adapt housing and commercial assets to meet rising demand.[2] While AC units help reduce immediate overheating risk, they are often energy-intensive, costly to run and contribute significantly to the urban heat island effect – raising localised temperatures by up to 2.4°C.[3]
In flood-prone UK towns like Bewdley in Worcestershire, mobile flood barriers were deployed ahead of Storm Babet in October 2023. Despite their presence, homes and businesses were flooded due to delayed activation and inadequate design thresholds, prompting an internal review by the Environment Agency.[4] In addition, the nearby town of Tenbury Wells has experienced seven flooding events over the last four years due to the River Teme overflowing its banks. Although the municipality had planned to construct a permanent flood barrier, the project was halted by the Environmental Agency, and no timeline has been set for its completion. Therefore, residents and business owners have turned to makeshift defences – such as sandbags and improvised barriers – to safeguard their properties against rising waters. These community driven efforts, while commendable, highlight the lack of long-term, sustainable flood-mitigation infrastructure in the area. The town’s repeated flooding incidents have led to significant financial losses for local businesses and have raised concerns about its future viability without substantial investment in permanent flood defences.[5]
Another risk of relying on stopgap measures is that they create a false sense of preparedness. Because these interventions often deliver just enough protection to weather a single event, they can be mistaken for adequate solutions. As a result, investment in more robust, future-proofed infrastructure becomes delayed or deprioritised.
Temporary solutions also tend to be inequitably distributed. Diesel generators and portable cooling units are more likely to be found in high-end commercial buildings or well-funded institutions. In contrast, residents in low-income housing or informal settlements often lack access to even the most basic emergency protections.[6]
Rethinking Resilience
Climate resilience must be integrated into every stage of the built environment’s lifecycle, from planning and design to operations and retrofitting. Resilient buildings should be informed by climate projections, not historic norms, which means shifting from reactive, energy intensive solutions to passive strategies such as, natural ventilation, thermal mass, or nature-based solutions. It is also important to note that resilience is not static; as climate patterns shift, so too must the tools we use to respond. A commitment to ongoing monitoring, learning, and adaptation is therefore required.
Delivering meaningful resilience also requires alignment with the broader regulatory and urban context. Collaboration with local municipalities is essential to ensure that building-level adaptation efforts are supported by enabling infrastructure and policy frameworks. Working with public authorities on zoning, drainage, emergency planning, and green infrastructure integration can unlock co-benefits and ensure that resilience strategies are both relevant and effective in the long term.
Temporary measures will always have a role in climate adaptation. But when they become the default response, they risk increasing vulnerability rather than addressing it. At Longevity Partners, we support our clients in the implementation of sustainable, long-term, data-driven, and locally-relevant resilience strategies. Our work with clients is rooted in robust risk assessments, tailored recommendations, and actionable implementation plans. We help translate climate data into real-world design and operational decisions, ensuring assets are not just reactive – but truly adaptive.
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/business/demand-for-cooling-in-london-has-risen-5-every-year-since-1980-study-finds-b2411596.html
[2] https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-environment-science-and-economy/uk-should-avoid-rush-to-air-con-as-temperatures-rise/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20temperate%20countries%20like%20the,homes%20in%20England%20experience%20overheating.
[3] https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/30/fact-check-is-air-conditioning-making-cities-hotter
[4] https://www.ciwem.org/news/environment-agency-probes-flood-defence-fail
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/01/could-tenbury-wells-be-the-first-uk-town-centre-abandoned-due-to-climate-change?
[6] https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/independent-assessment-of-uk-climate-risk/