Policy paper

Understanding climate adaptation and the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3)

Updated 21 February 2024

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

(The Thames Barrier in London, shown at low tide. Photo by mikeinlondon via Getty Images.)

The government is taking action to adapt the UK to climate change. This can help reduce the costs from climate change impacts and make our economy and society more resilient.

This page explains more about:

• climate change and adaptation
• the risks and opportunities of climate change
• what the government is doing to make sure that the UK is prepared for climate change – including the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3)

Climate change

Our climate is changing. The main cause is human activity: in particular, burning fossil fuels for energy, which emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and causes the world’s temperature to rise.

In the UK we can see the effects of climate change already. In 2022 the UK recorded the warmest year on record with temperatures reaching over 40°C, which had impacts on public health and the environment. These temperatures would not have been possible without climate change caused by human activity. The frequency of hotter summers will increase in the future, and we can expect the winters to become wetter, which will make flooding more likely across the UK.

The government is taking action to limit climate change through its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. One of these actions is reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Achieving ‘net zero’ in the UK and across the world will help to limit temperature rises in the future and reduce the level of climate change we need to adapt to.

Climate adaptation

Climate adaptation relates to actions that protect us against the impacts of climate change. This includes reacting to the changes we have seen already, as well as preparing for what will happen in the future.

The UK government is taking steps to address the impacts of climate change to protect communities, our economy and the environment.

Examples of the government’s approach to climate adaptation include:

• building new flood defences to protect against rising sea levels
• planning for more green spaces in urban areas to help keep them cool and planting more drought-resistant crops
• building infrastructure that can withstand expected climate impacts such as extreme heat and flooding

Many of the actions in NAP3 can help to improve our standard of living too, by upgrading our buildings and infrastructure, improving the sustainability and productivity of important sectors such as agriculture and forestry, and restoring our natural environment.

Climate risks and opportunities

Climate change can lead to both risks and opportunities, although there are more risks than opportunities. Without measures to adapt to climate change, we would experience additional issues including:

• health risks
• damage to houses and infrastructure
• harm to the natural environment
• disruption to international supply chains

A prominent climate risk is the increased chance of flooding due to more intense rainfall. Without flood management, this can cause millions of pounds worth of damage to peoples’ homes and businesses. We can prepare for this by using flood defence strategies that prevent damage from flood water, such as building flood defences and using nature to slow down or store flood waters. Actions like this can also benefit local communities, such as through improved green spaces for the public.

There are also limited opportunities from the changing climate, including the ability to grow new foods in the UK. As temperatures rise, crops such as grapes could be grown in more areas and our farmers could choose to adapt by moving to these new crops.

The government’s role in climate adaptation

The ‘Climate Change Act’ requires the government to prepare for a changing climate and publicly report on:

• the impact of climate change
• how we plan to adapt to the risks and opportunities posed by climate change

The National Adaptation Programme (NAP)

Every 5 years, the government produces an assessment of the risks and opportunities from climate change and reports on how we will adapt in the NAP. This approach to climate adaptation is world leading, placing the UK at the forefront of global efforts to manage climate risk.

NAP3 explains the government’s plans to adapt to climate change over the next 5 years from 2023 to 2028, including:

• protecting the natural environment
• supporting business in adapting to climate change
• adapting infrastructure (for example, our electricity networks and railways)
• protecting buildings and their surroundings (for example, from hotter temperatures)
• protecting public health and communities
• mitigating international impacts on the UK (for example, on food supplies imported from abroad)

Devolved governments

The Climate Change Act and the Climate Change (Scotland) Act require Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland to have their own plans for climate adaptation. These plans are closely aligned, and Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland have contributed to NAP3.

The role of local government, businesses and the public

It is important we all take action to address climate change. Alongside the government’s leading role, councils and communities can work together to prepare for and adapt to climate change.

(Two people planting trees on the hillside of a valley. Photo by Dougal Waters via Getty Images.)

The impacts of climate change will be different in various parts of the country, and in the different environments we live in. As the effects will be diverse, it is important for local authorities, households, communities and businesses to make informed decisions about how best to respond and reduce impacts in the most effective way. Households can take actions to avoid the impacts of climate change, such as improving shading to keep cool in hot weather and reducing hard landscaping in gardens to improve drainage and reduce flood risk.

Central government works closely with local authorities on adaptation measures, and ensures they have information on how the climate is changing in their area. Local government has responsibility for ensuring that the delivery of services locally is resilient to the impacts of the changing climate.

Local authorities have an important role in raising awareness and involving local communities by sharing information to explain local climate changes, how they can be managed and what households and businesses can do to help.

All businesses need to understand the effects of climate change and how they can adapt. This starts with identifying the kinds of risks their business faces, such as river and coastal flooding, higher temperatures, drought, or intense rainfall. Businesses also need to understand which parts of their operations are affected by different risks, such as reduced water supply impacting production, or overheating affecting employee productivity. They can then develop measures to manage risks, such as protecting their premises from low-level flooding, and assess over time whether these measures are effective.

Learn more about climate adaptation

You can find out more about climate change and climate adaptation by reading:

• Met Office’s ‘climate explained’ pages
• Met Office’s ‘climate change in the UK’ page
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change introduction to climate adaptation
• Climate Change Risk Assessment sector briefings