There are two new appointments to the Adaptation Committee. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Devolved Governments have appointed Dr Michael Keil and Mr Ian Dickie to the Adaptation Committee. They have both been appointed for a term of three years which will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028. They will help deliver the Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment independent assessment, progress reports and other specialist advice.
- Dr Michael Keil is Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water, the statutory consumer body for the water sector. He brings over two decades of experience across Ofwat, Severn Trent Water, and the Met Office, with a strong focus on climate change adaptation, resilience, and consumer advocacy. Michael holds a PhD in Meteorology and has served on multiple boards and advisory panels where he has contributed evidence to national climate risk assessments and adaptation planning under the Climate Change Act.
- Mr Ian Dickie is a Director at EFTEC (Economics for the Environment Consultancy), with over 25 years of experience as an applied environmental economist. He specialises in biodiversity, natural capital accounting, and the economic appraisal of environmental policy and infrastructure. He is a member of Defra’s Biodiversity Expert Committee and has served on advisory panels for the Royal Society of Arts, the Capitals Coalition, and the Peatland Code.
Baroness Brown, Chair of the Adaptation Committee, said:
“I am delighted to welcome two new members to the committee and congratulate them on their appointment. As the need to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change becomes ever more urgent, they will help build our analysis for the fourth UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Michael’s knowledge of the water industry and of consumer issues and Ian’s expertise of the economics of climate adaptation will be immensely valuable contributions to our upcoming advice.”
Dr Michael Keil said:
“It’s an enormous privilege to be given this opportunity to play a key role in shaping the UK’s response to climate change. You don’t have to look far to see the impact it’s already having on our lives, not least in the water sector where we are facing a race against time to secure enough water to meet our future needs.
“The UK has a wealth of unrivalled expertise which can find effective solutions but we need to accelerate our efforts. This means not only developing new infrastructure but, crucially, inspiring much-needed changes in people’s behaviour and habits where there remains so much untapped potential. It’s also critical we work with, rather than against, the natural environment to bolster our resilience.
“Ultimately, every individual, across current and future generations, has a stake in the decisions we take now to ensure we have a well-adapted UK that not only keeps people safe but allows communities and nature to flourish.”
Ian Dickie said:
“It is a pleasure and honour to be joining the Adaptation Committee to help apply environmental economics to the increasing urgent and current challenge of adapting to climate change.
“I will contribute to the Committee’s work to consider the full range of adaptation options available to society. It is important to promote both the costs and benefits of acting on adaptation and identify the potential synergies and trade-offs with other societal challenges. These include achieving net zero, particularly in agricultural and other sectors heavily dependent on natural capital, as well as nature recovery and public health.
“I aim to ensure that adaptation options are relevant across the diversity of the UK, from remote rural to inner city communities, and from our seas to our street trees. I will endeavour to build on the advice of my colleague at EFTEC, Ece Ozdemiroglu, who was a member of the committee for six years.”
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