Studies to help understand the likely impacts of our changing and variable climate were commissioned for each region and devolved administration of the UK, and for a number of sectors. We produced a summary of the findings in 2005, Measuring Progress (pdf, 1.6 MB).
UK climate change risk assessment
To better understand the specific risks that climate change poses to the UK, the government carried out a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) which sets out the main priorities for adaptation in the UK under 5 main themes (summary document, pdf, 1.3 MB):
- Agriculture and forestry
- Business, industries and services
- Health and well-being
- Natural environment
- Buildings and infrastructure
The assessment gives a detailed analysis of 100 potential impacts of climate change, and describes the policy context and action already in place to tackle some of the risks in each geographic area. It highlights the limitations of the CCRA analysis and provides details on how uncertainties were taken into account within the analysis.