We’ve had a busy and productive year at Climate NI. Throughout 2025, our work has focused on strengthening collaboration, evidence, and capacity for climate adaptation across Northern Ireland. Below are just some of the key activities and partnerships that shaped the year.

Climate NI Events

Preparing NI for a Changing Climate

Climate NI hosted the event Preparing NI for a Changing Climate, which brought together a diverse audience of more than 90 stakeholders from across sectors. The event created valuable space for connection between individuals and organisations at the heart of delivering climate action. Discussions highlighted both the urgency of adapting to climate change impacts already being felt in Northern Ireland, and the opportunities to embed resilience across policy, practice, and communities.

Climate NI Policy and Research Panel

On 12 March, we convened the third meeting of the Climate NI Policy and Research Panel, bringing together academic and industry partners to strengthen the evidence base for adaptation in Northern Ireland. We heard from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) on the development of the national Climate Risk Assessment, and continued our collective work on building a robust, well-evidenced framework for monitoring adaptation progress in NI.

NICCY ‘Hear Our Voices’ youth event

We were delighted to take part in the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) Hear Our Voices youth event. We heard directly from passionate young people sharing their perspectives on climate and environmental issues, and delivered a workshop focused on raising awareness of climate adaptation. Ensuring that youth voices are meaningfully captured remains a key priority as Northern Ireland develops its Climate Change Adaptation Programme.

NI Environment Link climate projects

Place-Based Climate Adaptation: Empowering Communities for Collaborative Action & Resilient Futures

Through NI Environment Link, Climate NI continues to support collaborative climate initiatives. The TalX2 project, which focuses on developing place-based climate action partnerships across the island of Ireland, reached an important milestone this year. Members of the TalX2 project team delivered a workshop at the Mary Robinson Climate and Nature Conference in Ballina in May. The session amplified the voices of community members, local representatives, and adaptation practitioners, including those from local government.
Find out more about TalX2 here.

Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub

The Climate NI team at NIEL continues to act as the Northern Ireland stakeholder lead for the MACC Hub, working alongside Professor Mark Emmerson of Queen’s University Belfast. In September, we travelled to Scotland to attend the MACC Hub Inaugural Conference. The event brought together more than 200 participants from across the UK adaptation community, including representatives from central and local government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector, helping to strengthen connections and shared learning across regions.
Find out more about the MACC Hub here.

Climate NI Training on Adaptation Planning for Public Bodies Reporting with DAERA at CAFRE

To support public bodies in their adaptation planning and reporting, due for submission at the end of March 2026, Climate NI supported DAERA to deliver a full day of training at the CAFRE Greenmount campus. Over 100 individuals representing the 40 public bodies, those who wish to voluntarily report, and sponsor departments were in attendance at the event which focused on how to identify climate risks and opportunities and develop a climate adaptation plan to manage these risks. The training also included contributions from the Met Office on climate risk and the Local Authority Climate Service, the DAERA team leading the development of the next NI Climate Change Adaptation Programme, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, sharing insights from the development of their adaptation plan.

Looking ahead

Taken together, these activities reflect a year of strong collaboration, growing momentum, and increasing recognition of the importance of climate adaptation in Northern Ireland. As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to build on this progress, deepen partnerships, and continue supporting evidence-led, inclusive, and place-based approaches to preparing for a changing climate.