UK Climate Change Risk Assessment
The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) presents the latest evidence on the risks and opportunities of climate change for the UK to 2100.
The Climate Change Act 2008 commits the UK Government to carry out an assessment of the climate change risks to the UK every five years. The second CCRA was released January 2017, following the first CCRA which was published in 2012.
The CCRA provides the evidence base to inform Government-led national adaptation programmes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, Scottish Ministers are required to develop an adaptation programme to address the risks identified for Scotland in the CCRA. The first Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme (SCCAP) was released in May 2014, followed by Climate Ready Scotland: Second Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme 2019-2024 in September 2019.
Producing the next CCRA
The third CCRA is due in 2022. The Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has a legal duty to advise Government on the UK CCRA. The CCC published the third Climate Change Risk Assessment evidence report in June 2021, which will inform the UK Government’s third CCRA (known as CCRA3).
The Climate Change Committee’s UK Climate Risk Independent Assessment is made up of:
- The Technical Report providing the full analysis of climate change risks and opportunities for the UK (including chapters on natural environment, infrastructure, human health, built environment, business and international dimensions)
- The Advice Report providing statutory advice to government, drawing on the analysis in the technical report.
- A National summary for Scotland
- A series of themed Sector briefings
- Research and supporting analysis
Climate Change Adaptation at the international level

At COP 21 in Paris, Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to combat…
Climate Change Adaptation in the UK

The UK’s Climate Change Act 2008 provides a legal framework to ensure that the…
Climate Change Adaptation in Scotland

Climate change policy in Scotland responds to both a UK and a Scottish…