Flooded electricity substations and railways are two of the risks major infrastructure organisations have identified in a series of reports assessing how the UK’s roads, railways and energy supply networks will be able to cope with the effects of a changing climate.

Submissions by National Grid – for gas and electricity – the Environment Agency, Trinity Lighthouse Authority, the Highways Agency, Network Rail and Natural England were published by Defra today so the department could assess preparations for a world that could be two degrees warmer by 2050.

Network Rail, which has previously cautioned that landslides might disrupt its operations, reiterated that prediction, adding that the risk of buckling tracks and persistent flooding are also growing.

Sea levels at Dawlish in Devon, where the rails run alongside the sea, have risen 30cm since 1840, it says, and are likely to swell to 70cm by 2050 and 1.45m by 2100. This increases the risk of waves breaking over the line by 50 per cent by 2020 and three times the current figure by 2080.

It has already invested £8.5m in the past 10 years in fortifying the sea defences and establishing an early warning system to watch for rockfalls from the cliffs, but more investment will be needed, it claims.

“Britain’s railway today is resilient to adverse weather but to safeguard its future we must continue to stay prepared in managing the impact from a changing climate,” said John Dora, Network Rail’s principal engineer on climate change.

High on National Grid’s threat list are gas pipes becoming exposed, necessitating replacing the old metal tubes with polyethylene, while it also identifies 13 unnamed substations that are vulnerable to a once-in-a-century flood.

In its report, the Highways Agency warns of the damage extreme weather could do to roads and suggests modelling future road building on southern France.

Wildlife will struggle to cope, according to the Environment Agency, which says fish will be particularly affected and suggests relocating some species further north to cooler waters.

In total 91 organisations including electricity generation, airports and utilities will be asked to submit reports to Defra over the next year, which the department will collate and publish in January 2012 – the first assessment in a series that will be updated every five years.

The final report will be used to understand the level of risk posed by climate change for the UK and develop adaptation policy options.

“Business as usual is not an option, and planning now will prevent a lot of expense down the line when the projections of climate change become a reality,” said environment minister Lord Henley. “Businesses of all sizes need to assess how climate change could affect them.”