The UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) have published an independent assessment of progress in adapting to climate change in Northern Ireland. They have provided this assessment during the second Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP2) and ahead of the next NICCAP which is expected in 2024.

Key messages from the report include:

• NICCAP2 has some of the elements required for a vision of a well-adapted Northern Ireland. The current NICCAP objectives envisage a Northern Ireland that is adapted to climate change across seven areas. Most of the seven areas have one or more key performance indicators.
• Planning for climate change in Northern Ireland remains at an early stage. Across key areas of adaptation most of the critical policy and planning milestones that we identify as important for delivering adaptation are not in place. Preparation for climate change in areas falling outside of the scope of NICCAP2 is noticeably poorer than for areas within the programme.
• Despite the critical importance of adapting to climate change, there is only limited evidence of delivery, and data gaps in key areas are unacceptably large. The absence of relevant data is a key barrier to assessing all aspects relevant to delivery and implementation of adaptation policy. For two-thirds of the adaptation outcomes we look at in this report, the lack of relevant indicator data prevents us making a judgement on progress in delivery and implementation. This needs to be addressed with urgency.
• The next NICCAP must go much further than its predecessor. It must increase its scope to include the full range of sectors and policy areas which require adaptation, and critical data gaps need to be closed.

Read the full report here.