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A series of workshops have been launched with members of the public to help inform the development of the government's third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3).
The public dialogue workshops, overseen by Defra and in partnership with UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI's) Sciencewise Programme, Ipsos and University of Leeds, will explore the public's perspectives of climate adaptation and how they think the government, businesses and civil society should address it.
120 participants have been recruited to take part in the workshops and represent an accurate cross-section of the population of England.
The workshops will take place online over the next couple of months with participants from various locations across England, with a final report being published in the coming months.
This report will inform the engagement that will take place in the summer on the aims and objectives of NAP3, with the final programme of ambitious and robust policies to be announced next year.
Climate Adaptation Minister Jo Churchill said:
We must go much further and faster to properly prepare for the impacts of climate change in England, and we're determined to tackle the increasing risks through an ambitious and robust third National Adaptation Programme.
These workshops are an important step towards this, and provide an invaluable opportunity to make sure we understand the public's view of what a well-adapted England looks like and how they want the government and others to deliver it.
Tom Saunders, Head of Public Engagement at UKRI, said:
This public dialogue will give people a say on how the UK should adapt to climate change. These are really important issues that affect us all and we are grateful to all those giving up time to take part. With concern about climate change at an all time high, there is no better time to hear what different people around the UK want for their future.
Suraje Dessai, Professor of Climate Change Adaptation at the University of Leeds, said:
Little is known about what the public thinks about climate adaptation in England. This work will illuminate the public's view of climate risks, adaptation options and responsibilities. This evidence is critical to inform the development of the government's third National Adaptation Programme.
Rachel Brisley, Head of Energy and Environment in Public Affairs at Ipsos, said:
Ipsos is delighted to be involved in this pioneering work to understand and capture the public's views on the key climate risks for England and their priorities for how we should adapt to these. So far, we have had some fantastic discussions and look forward to more that will help shape future adaptation In England.
The workshops deliver on a key recommendation of the Climate Change Committee's Independent Assessment of Climate Risk with public engagement forming an important part of policy-making on climate adaptation.
It follows the publication of the UK's Third Climate Change Risk Assessment in January, setting out the challenge of ensuring the UK is resilient to climate change and setting out the work already underway to meet that challenge. Further information
Work that has been undertaken by the UK government and the devolved administrations to adapt to climate include:
- Investing a record £5.2 billion to build 2,000 new flood defences by 2027.
- Continuing work on the Green Finance Strategy to align private sector financial flows with clean, environmentally sustainable and resilient growth.
- Increasing the total spend from the Nature for Climate Fund on peat restoration, woodland creation and management to more than £750m by 2025.
- Ensuring that climate science and research, such as the UK Climate Projections 2018, are fully integrated into planning and decision making, including on major infrastructure.
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