Committee on Climate Change

Chair of the Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC), Lord John Krebs, has written to the Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, setting out the Committee’s advice on the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) Synthesis Report. The ASC has a statutory duty to advise on the preparation of the CCRA under the Climate Change Act 2008

The Government will use the Synthesis Report, along with the output from other ongoing studies, to produce the Government Overview. The Overview will form the basis of the CCRA Act report, which is to be laid before Parliament as required under the Climate Change Act in January 2012.

The synthesis report brings together all the evidence gathered over the last two years on the risk and opportunities to the UK from current and future climate change. This report is supported by detailed assessments in each of the 11 sectors identified for priority action – agriculture, water, flood and coastal management, marine and fisheries, forestry, biodiversity, business, built environment, transport, energy and health.

In his letter, Lord Krebs said:
“The Synthesis Report is an improvement on earlier versions we have reviewed, and provides a good base for subsequent risk assessments to build on, and for the development of the National Adaptation Plan.”

Lord Krebs also noted that there were some outstanding issues to resolve in order to ensure the report is robust and has maximum impact. These issues are structured around the broad principles we set out for finalising the CCRA in the ASC’s second progress report:

•    Providing a transparent comparison of the risks
•    Characterising the uncertainties
•    Cross-checking the results with current climate impacts and risks

The ASC’s advice builds on the findings of an academic peer review chaired by ASC member, Prof Martin Parry, who noted that the CCRA represents an advance on previous UK climate change impact assessments.

The ASC will continue to advise on the preparation of the CCRA Act Report, which is scheduled to be published in January 2012.