Alex Miller, Climate Resilience Researcher, Northern Ireland Environment Link (Climate NI Team) 

Climate change is already affecting communities across Europe through more frequent and intense weather events, including flooding, heatwaves and drought. As these risks continue to grow, cities and regions are increasingly looking at how they can adapt and build resilience for the future. 

What is Pathways2Resilience? 

Pathways2Resilience (P2R) is a €29 million Horizon Europe-funded programme supporting regions and communities across Europe to develop transformative approaches to climate adaptation and resilience. The programme is helping 100 regions strengthen their ability to anticipate, prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change, while developing long-term strategies that support environmental, social and economic wellbeing. 

Belfast is one of 62 regions selected as part of the programme’s second cohort and is participating through a partnership between Belfast City Council and Climate Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Environment Link). Running from January 2026 to June 2027, the project will help establish pathways towards a more climate-resilient Belfast. 

Climate Resilience in Belfast 

The Belfast P2R project is focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of climate risk, identifying adaptation priorities, and building the governance, action and investment frameworks needed to strengthen resilience across the city. Four key outputs will be delivered over the course of the project: a Climate Resilience Baseline Report, Climate Resilience Strategy, Climate Resilience Action Plan and Climate Resilience Investment Plan.  

Alex Miller is the primary researcher from the Climate NI team, working alongside Climate NI Manager Stephen Jones and project partners Belfast City Council on a range of stakeholder engagement activities to develop an evidence base for Belfast city region. Over recent months, Climate Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council have brought together representatives from local government, academia, statutory agencies, infrastructure providers, community organisations, environmental groups and businesses, helping ensure that a broad range of perspectives are reflected throughout the resilience planning process. 

This series of workshops, meetings, and engagement activities have explored climate adaptation initiatives already taking place across Belfast, identified existing strengths, and highlighted opportunities for greater collaboration between organisations and sectors.  

Workshops have also provided a valuable opportunity to bring together individuals and organisations that may not typically work together on climate adaptation issues. Developing a shared understanding of climate risk has been another important focus of the project’s early stages. Stakeholders have considered the range of climate hazards likely to affect Belfast over the coming decades, including river and coastal flooding, extreme heat, and drought. Discussions have explored how these risks may impact communities, infrastructure, services, ecosystems and the local economy. 

Alongside scientific evidence and climate risk data, stakeholders have contributed valuable local knowledge and practical insights that will help inform Belfast’s Climate Resilience Baseline Report and future adaptation planning. Emphasis has been placed on understanding the interconnected nature of climate risks and identifying actions that can deliver multiple benefits across sectors and communities. 

Shared Development 

As part of the wider P2R network, Belfast is also benefiting from opportunities to learn from regions across Europe facing similar challenges. Sharing experiences, approaches and lessons learned helps to identify innovative governance models, resilience tools and financing mechanisms that can support climate adaptation efforts locally. 

Looking ahead, the project will continue to build on these strong foundations. The next phase of work will focus on finalising the Climate Resilience Baseline Report and progressing the development of Belfast’s Climate Resilience Strategy, Action Plan and Investment Plan. Continued stakeholder engagement will remain at the heart of the process, helping to ensure that the project’s outputs reflect local priorities and support Belfast’s long-term resilience ambitions. 

Through P2R, Belfast has an important opportunity to strengthen its preparedness for future climate impacts while building partnerships, capacity and shared ownership of climate resilience across the city. As the project progresses, these collaborative efforts will help shape a more resilient future for Belfast and its communities.