Climate Change Adaptation Programme for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s second Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP2) was published in September 2019 and it covers the period 2019-2024.

NICCAP2 contains the NICS Departments response to the risks and opportunities relevant to Northern Ireland as identified in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 ("CCRA 2017").

NICCAP2 focuses on key priority areas identified as requiring urgent adaptation action over the next five years.

It sets the policies, strategies, and delivery plan actions by which NICS Departments will deliver outcome objectives so to achieve the vision of ‘A resilient Northern Ireland which will take timely and well-informed decisions to address the socio-economic and environmental impacts of climate change’.

NICCAP2 contains a chapter which sits outside government, titled ‘Civil Society and Local Government Adapts’. The chapter is written by Climate NI, in conjunction with outside government stakeholders. It provides adaptation outcome objective delivery plans and actions that will be undertaken by Civil Society and Local Government sectors which will contribute to achieving NICCAP2’s vision.

Publication of CCRA 2017 in January 2017 delivered on the UK government’s statutory requirement under the Climate Change Act, in a five yearly cycle, to publish and lay before Parliament a UK-wide CCRA.

CCRA 2017 was informed by an independent ‘Evidence Report’ from the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change, which was commissioned by the UK government and Devolved Administrations. The assessment is known as ‘UK Climate Change Risk Assessment- 2017 Evidence Report’. The report contained national summaries for each of the UK administrations including a summary with climate change risks specific to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme 2019-2024 (PDF)