How will the Act help adaptation?

The Climate Change Act enhances the UK's ability to adapt to the impact of climate change and establishes that:

a UK wide climate change risk assessment must take place every five years;
a national adaptation programme must be put in place and reviewed every five years to address the most pressing climate change risks to England;
the Government has the power to require public authorities and statutory undertakers (companies like water and energy utilities) to report on how they have assessed the risks of climate change to their work, and what they are doing to address these risks ;
the Government is required to publish a strategy outlining how this new power will be used, and identifying the priority organisations that will be covered by it;
the Government will provide statutory guidance on how to undertake a climate risk assessment and draw up an adaptation action plan; and
the creation of an Adaptation Sub-Committee of the independent Committee on Climate Change in order to oversee progress on the Adapting to Climate Change Programme and advise on the risk assessment.

Page last modified: 27 November 2008
Page published: 24 July 2008

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