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The Adaptation 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  "reporting authorities" to prepare reports.

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

On this page:

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.

Why ask authorities to report?

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.

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.

Climate change will impact on almost every aspect of our lives and will mean we need some new infrastructure to cope, but well planned action will reduce costs for individuals, businesses and the public purse.  Much adaptation will not take major investment but will be about changing our systems and behaviour to ones more appropriate for a changing climate.

The 2007 summer floods and the more recent floods in Cumbria (November 2009) 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.

 This will enable them to examine their risks adequately; risks to their buildings, their staff, their services and operations, their supply lines, their customers and stakeholders or their regulatory functions.

There is considerable public benefit to ensuring that key organisations prepare effectively for climate change and report publically on their work. This will allow Government and stakeholders to assess the degree to which the country’s essential services and infrastructure are preparing for climate change – and to identify any barriers which could prevent this from happening. The public nature of the reports will help organisations to continue engagement with their customers and stakeholders on the likely impacts of climate change and how these are to be addressed.

Completed reports will 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. Where possible the Government will also use the information from the reports to feed in to the UK's first Climate Change Risk Assessment.

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. We have also developed Statutory Guidance, which will help reporting authorities compile reports.

How has the Government decided who to ask to report?

The Government is committed to using the power in a risk based, targeted and efficient way. Stakeholders 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 priority list of reporting authorities.

On 18 June 2009 we consulted on our draft strategy for using the power, including the criteria for identifying reporting authorities, and the draft priority list. The consultation closed on 9th September 2009 and 66 responses were received.

The summary of responses to the consultation and full Government response is available at the page below:

As required under the Climate Change Act 2008 the Government laid 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 on 26 November 2009.

The statutory Report to Parliament on the Government’s strategy for using the Adaptation Reporting Power including the priority list of reporting authorities is available below:

Who is being asked to report?

A request for a report can be issued to ‘bodies with functions of a public nature’ or ‘statutory undertakers’ (such as water or energy companies) (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 are priority reporting authorities, and whom we will direct to report to the Secretary of State is attached below.

In addition, the Government is proposing to invite key sectors to report on their adaptation plans. The organisations in these sectors 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 for the Adaptation Reporting Power

  • 18 June – 9 September 2009
    Consultation on the draft strategy for use of the power ‘Adapting to Climate Change: Ensuring Progress in Key Sectors 2009’
  • 26 November 2009
    Strategy for use of the power and priority list of reporting authorities laid before Parliament. Government response to the consultation, final Impact Assessment and Statutory Guidance published on website.  
  • 15 December 2009
    Draft Directions and invitations sent to reporting authorities, opening a 6 week opportunity for comments.
  • 25 January 2010
    Deadline for reporting authorities to respond to the draft Directions.
  • February 2010
    Directions issued to reporting authorities
  • July 2010 – November 2011
    Reports submitted to the Secretary of State
  • By end 2011
    Reports from authorities published
  • January 2012
    UK’s first Climate Change Risk Assessment published
  • Late 2012
    First National Adaptation Programme 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 submitted to the Secretary of State
  • 2016
    Second UK Climate Change Risk Assessment published

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

The FAQ pack (PDF 429 KB) aims to answer reporting authorities frequently asked questions and includes information on:

  • The Adaptation Reporting Power;
  • The reporting process;
  • The report content;
  • Support from the Adapting to Climate Change Programme; and
  • Information for invitees.

Unlike the Statutory Guidance these answers carry no statutory weight but they are aimed to be helpful to organisations when producing their reports. As this is the first iteration of the Adaptation Reporting Power it is likely to be a learning process and we would encourage reporting authorities to share information as the reports develop.

If you have any further queries please email the Adaptation Reporting Power team at acc_reportingpower@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Further information

Page last modified: 15 February 2010
Page published: 24 July 2008

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