Scottish climate change adaptation programme: progress report 2019

Annex B: UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017

The UK Government is required under the 2008 Climate Change Act to publish a UK wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (UKCCRA) every five years, assessing the 'risks for the UK from the current and predicted impacts of climate change'. The first UKCCRA was published in 2012.

In 2016, the Committee on Climate Change published the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report and Synthesis Report, and a National Summary for Scotland. In January 2017 the UK Government published the (second) UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 including a contribution from Scotland.

The Evidence Report used the concept of urgency to summarise the findings of the analysis, variously identifying 'more action needed', 'research priority', 'sustain current action' and 'watching brief' categories. It highlighted:-

• The need for more action to address flood risks;
• The potential for water scarcity;
• Heat related impacts on health and wellbeing;
• Risks to the natural environment;
• Risks of food price volatility; and
• New and emerging pest and disease risks, especially for Scotland's forestry.

UKCCRA2 feeds into the development of national adaptation programmes of the devolved administrations.Some actions identified as priorities for other parts of the UK have been shown to have a different urgency category for Scotland.

Table: UK Climate Change Risk Assessment: risks summary

Source - Adaptation Committee (of the Committee on Climate Change)