Climate services for a Net Zero resilient world
A research programme to help the UK adapt and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
Climate Services for a Net Zero Resilient World (CS-N0W) is a £5.5 million research programme that will use the latest scientific knowledge to inform UK climate policy and help us meet our global decarbonisation ambitions.
CS-N0W aims to enhance the scientific understanding of climate impacts, decarbonisation, climate action and improve accessibility to the UK’s climate data. It will contribute to evidence-based climate policy both in the UK and internationally, and strengthen the climate resilience of UK infrastructure, housing and communities.
The programme will run for 4 years, from 2021 to 2025.
Who is involved
CS-N0W will be delivered by a consortium of world-leading research institutions from across the UK, including:
- Ricardo
- University College London (UCL)
- Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
- Institutes supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), including:
- British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
- British Geological Survey (BGS)
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)
- National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)
- National Oceanography Centre (NOC)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
The consortium will work on behalf of the UK government and the following institutions and audiences:
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
- Department for Transport (DfT)
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Environment Agency (EA)
- Ofgem
- Climate Change Committee (CCC)
- UK local enterprise partnerships and local authorities
- international policy makers
Contact us
If you have any questions about CS-N0W, contact the team at: climatescience@beis.gov.uk.
Facilitating Global Climate Action
CS-N0W will support the assessment, review and scoping of international reports such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), AR7, and the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Reports. The current state of scientific knowledge will be synthesised to identify critical knowledge gaps, and insights will be provided for pressing UK policy questions.
CS-N0W research and analysis was presented at events at COP28 and AGU23. We have published recordings of these events here:
September 2023: AGU23
In September 2023, the UK government hosted an international workshop, bringing policymakers and scientists from across the world together to understand the key questions that need to be answered ahead of 2030.
Watch the video: Science-based policy making in the time of climate emergency: AGU23
1 December 2023: COP28 UK Pavilion discussion
CS-N0W hosted the opening event of the UK Pavilion at COP28, on How scientific assessment can drive policy action.
Watch the video: How can scientific assessment drive climate action? An interactive discussion: UK Pavilion COP28
11 December 2023: COP28 UK Pavilion
At the closing event in the UK Pavilion at COP28, CS-N0W research on emissions from cooling in the UK was presented alongside research on the topic from other organisations.
Watch the video: Sustainable Cooling in a Warming World: UK Pavilion COP28
Tracking and mitigation of GHG emissions
CS-N0W delivers cutting-edge analysis on defined research topics, as well as key knowledge gaps in measuring and mitigating the UK’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This includes the future of measuring and tracking GHG emissions, maritime emissions reduction pathways and the interactions between mitigation measures and the atmosphere. This will help to inform decision making around tracking and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Impacts, adaptation and resilience
CS-N0W analyses the climate hazards facing natural and human systems to inform UK and international adaptation policies and plans. The programme reviews existing and emerging evidence on the potential climate impacts at different geographical scales (global, regional and country), timescales (near, medium and long term) and levels of warming to deliver an assessment of the avoided climate impacts to the UK from limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to higher levels of warming.
The programme provides spatially granular estimates of the climate hazards facing UK infrastructure including water-intensive energy infrastructure, energy networks, energy assets and housing. These hazards are reviewed both in the current climate and at a range of future scenarios.
Co-benefits and trade-offs of climate action
CS-N0W will examine the wide-ranging co-benefits of climate action to support governments to decarbonise and adapt to climate change alongside achieving other priorities. This will include the provision of credible assessments of mitigation co-benefits to health and the economy at global and regional scales, as well as the interlinkages, co-benefits and trade-offs between UK climate mitigation and UK climate adaptation options.
This theme will also enhance understanding of the case for Net Zero both in the UK and internationally, as well as the critical importance of climate change adaptation and resilience. The theme reviews the nexus of health and environment, reviewing the impact of net zero housing on health impacts.