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The reporting power

The Government is committed to ensuring the public sector is taking action to adapt to climate change. The Climate Change Act 2008 introduces a new power for the Secretary of State to direct a "reporting authority" to prepare reports.

These reports need to cover how the organisation is assessing and acting on the risks and opportunities from a changing climate.

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What is the Adaptation Reporting Power?

The Act gives the Secretary of State the power to direct reporting authorities (organisations with functions of a public nature and statutory undertakers) to produce reports on:

  • the current and future predicted impacts of climate change on their organisation; and
  • proposals for adapting to climate change

When reporting, an authority must have regard to Statutory Guidance from the Secretary of State. The authority must then consider its report when carrying out its functions. This power is the primary legislative lever available to the Government to influence behaviour on climate change adaptation.

It is essential that the organisations which are responsible for essential services and infrastructure are making the necessary plans to respond to climate change, as part of their risk management processes.

Why ask authorities to report?

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing society today.  We must avoid making the problem worse, so cutting emissions is a priority, but we already face continued global warming over many decades that will impact on the UK. We must be prepared for a changing climate.

The 2007 Summer floods highlighted the disruption that can be caused by the UK failing to take into account climate risk in planning its infrastructure and operations. We want to ensure that climate risk is being considered in organisations’ plans and that adaptation to deal with this risk is occurring, being put in place in an efficient and effective manner.

For example it is important that air-conditioning use doesn’t increase, resulting in more carbon emissions occurring and more severe climate change or that flood defenses don’t increase the risk of flooding in other areas.

Completed reports will then be analysed by the Government and used to help to map the Climate Change Risk across the UK and preparedness across key sectors. This will help the Government to better understand the risks facing the UK and to address any problems that are raised.

What will authorities be asked to include in their reports?

The report should contain:

  • a summary of the statutory and other functions of the reporting authority – to ensure that they are taking into account the risks presented to all their functions;
  • an assessment of the current and predicted risks to that organisation, or its functions, presented by climate change; and
  • a programme of measures to address the risks highlighted above, including any policies or practices that are already being implemented
  • further information on the required content of the reports is laid out in the template legal direction, in the consultation document. We are also developing Statutory Guidance, which will help reporting authorities compile reports.

How will the Government decide who to ask to report?

The Government is committed to using the power in a risk based, targeted and efficient way. Under the Act the Government must lay before Parliament its strategy outlining the circumstances in which directions will be made, and a list of the authorities or kinds of authority to whom the Secretary of State considers directions should be given as a matter of priority.

Stakeholders and other Government Departments have worked with us to develop criteria to identify key sectors and organisations that are essential to the country’s ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and using these criteria we have drawn up a draft priority list of reporting authorities.

We are currently consulting on our draft strategy for using the power, including the criteria for identifying reporting authorities, and the draft priority list. We would very much welcome comments on our proposals.

Who will be asked to report?

A request for a report can be issued to a public body or statutory undertaker (such as water or energy supplier) (referred to in the Act as "reporting authorities"). Over 100,000 eligible reporting authorities exist.

Not all potentially eligible bodies will be asked to report. However, the power and Statutory Guidance may prompt potential reporting authorities, and other organisations, to consider the issues presented by a changing climate.

The list of the organisations that we propose in the consultation to be the first priority reporting authorities to report to the Secretary of State is attached below.

In addition, the Government is proposing to invite around 80 additional organisations to report on their adaptation plans. These organisations either do not quite meet the criteria for inclusion but have highlighted their keenness to report, or meet the criteria and would be considered part of the priority list but do not sit within the legal definition of reporting authority.

Timetable

We are currently consulting on our proposed use of the reporting power and the deadline for comments is 9 September 2009. After considering the results of the consultation we will present the final strategy and list of authorities to Parliament before 26 November 2009.

Timetable for producing the Climate Change Act requirements

  • November 2009
    First report to Parliament on the intended use of the Adaptation Reporting Power
  • 2010
    First Directions issued to reporting authorities
  • By end 2011
    First reports from authorities published
  • January 2012
    First UK Climate Change Risk Assessment published
  • Late 2012
    First Statutory Programme for adaptation and second strategy and list on the use of the Adaptation Reporting Power published
  • 2013
    Second Directions to reporting authorities
  • 2014/15
    Second set of reports from authorities
  • 2016
    Second UK Climate Change Risk Assessment published
Further information

Page last modified: 28 September 2009
Page published: 24 July 2008

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