Consultation launched on Northern Ireland Climate Adaptation Programme
Date published:
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has today launched an eight week public consultation to seek views on the draft Third Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP3).
The draft NICCAP3 sets out details of actions to be progressed to adapt to and to improve our resilience to the impacts of climate change over the coming five year period.
Welcoming the launch of the consultation on NICCAP3, Minister Andrew Muir MLA said: “In recent years, Northern Ireland has witnessed new record temperatures, significant fires in our countryside, widespread severe flooding events and damage to coastal infrastructure, impacting upon farming and food production, roads and other infrastructure such as our electricity and broadband networks.
“It is evident that the impacts of climate change are widespread and effective adaptation action to improve our resilience is required. I very much welcome the collaborative effort from across all government departments and wider society in developing the draft NICCAP3."
The draft NICCAP3 sets out details of over 250 actions from government departments, councils, academia, NGOs, businesses and civil society which aim to improve our resilience to the impacts of climate change to protect our economy, communities and environment from the worst impacts.
Welcoming the launch of the consultation, Ciarán Fox the Director of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects and Chair of Climate NI said: “I welcome the proactive approach that has been taken to the development of the draft NICCAP3 through both the inclusion of actions from outside departments and the co-design approach that has been taken to the development of the high-level vision and aims. This approach recognises the important role key stakeholders, from across all sectors, can play in building and improving our resilience to climate change.
“The draft NICCAP3, through the series of short case studies included in it, demonstrates some of the positive work that has already been progressed. These help to demonstrate the role all sectors of society can play.”
He added “It is crucial that we ensure our current processes and infrastructure take account of and are equipped to face the climate impacts highlighted in the Met Office’s UK Climate Change Projections and those impacts which are now already locked in.”
The public consultation on NICCAP3 will be open for eight weeks and will close on 4th August 2025. The consultation can be accessed via either the DAERA Consultation webpage.
Notes to editors:
- Under section 57 of the Climate Change Act 2008, on a five yearly basis, the Climate Change Committee publishes an independent assessment of the risks of climate change to the UK. The assessment considers a range of risks including risks of flooding, overheating, new pests / diseases, wildfire etc to which an assigned risk rating score is applied.
- On publication of the CCC’s independent assessment the UK Government and Devolved Administrations use the information in the CCC’s assessment to develop what is known as the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) which is laid in Parliament under section 56 of the Climate Change Act 2008.
- Section 60 of the 2008 Act requires that relevant Northern Ireland departments lay programmes before the Northern Ireland Assembly setting out the objectives of the department in relation to adaptation to climate change. This ‘programme’ is known as the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP) which DAERA co-ordinate the development of on behalf of all Departments. There is no legal requirement under the 2008 Act to consult on the draft NICCAP.
- Under section 48 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 the CCC will be legally required to undertake independent assessments of future adaptation programmes which are laid in the Assembly. The independent assessment of NICCAP3 will be expected to take place in 2028.
- Even with working towards achieving Net Zero and limiting global warming to 1.5c there will still be locked in impacts of climate change which we cannot avoid and must continue to adapt to.
- Following completion of the public consultation exercise DAERA, in consultation with other Departments, will make any necessary refinements to the draft NICCAP3 prior to seeking Executive agreement to lay it in the Assembly.
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