Guidance

Green Book supplementary guidance: climate change and environmental valuation

Supplementary guidance to the Green Book covering the consideration of the impacts of climate change in policy appraisal to ensure value for money of government spending.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 21 April 2013
• Last updated: 8 April 2025 — See all updates

Documents

Executive summary: accounting for the effects of climate change guidance

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Accounting for the effects of climate change

PDF, 1.34 MB, 66 pages

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Details

This supplementary guidance to HM Treasury’s Green Book helps analysts and policymakers ensure that policies, programmes, and projects are resilient to climate change. It builds on the conventional Green Book appraisal methodology to account for climate effects, supports the identification of climate risks, and aids in designing and appraising adaptation measures.

The Green Book and this supplementary guidance is supported by the wider collection of accompanying guidance and materials.

Related environmental publications

• Green Book supplementary guidance: valuation of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for appraisal
• Green Book supplementary document: environmental discount rate review conclusion
• Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA)

Published 21 April 2013

Last updated 8 April 2025 + show all updates

1. 8 April 2025

   Accounting for the effects of climate change supplementary Green Book guidance has been updated by Defra in consultation across government. The new guidance includes a set of standardised climate scenarios for government appraisal and a guide to applying climate impacts to traditional cost benefit analysis.

2. 16 May 2024

   Minor technical update to guidance, which fixes broken links and updates old references.

3. 18 November 2022

   New link to the Green Book and its collection of accompanying guidance and materials collection page to improve signposting.

4. 17 December 2020

   Updated with detail: supplementary guidance on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA).

5. 21 April 2013

   First published.