Event: Climate risk and adaptation: Delivering resilient UK infrastructure
Channel: Climate Change Committee
Date: 2021-09-22

This is an online session to consider how UK infrastructure is exposed to priority risks identified in the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk.

Flooding remains a key risk to infrastructure with the latest climate projections indicating an increased likelihood of heavy precipitation. Recent progress in flood protection measures will need to be maintained and extended across key infrastructure sectors. An increasing reliance on electricity as the UK transitions to a Net Zero economy, and the potential for climate impacts to cascade across interconnected sectors, means further action will be needed to understand and manage risks from weather-related failures of the power and ICT sectors. Meanwhile, further adaptation will be needed to address concerns for future supply of water in summer, in the face of a rising population, environmental and climate pressures.

During this event we hear from lead authors of the Infrastructure chapter of The Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Technical Report. We will also explore the urgent actions that need to be implemented to address these risks.

Event details:
• 10:00-11:30, Wednesday 22nd September 2021
• The event is chaired by Professor Richard Dawson, Member of the Adaptation Committee
• The session includes presentations from the Technical Report chapter authors – David Jaroszweski, Ruth Wood, Lee Chapman - and Cara Labuschagne from the CCC secretariat
• The presenters will be joined on the panel by Professor John Dora, an expert in climate change adaptation and infrastructure systems and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

UK Climate Risk – State of the Nation series
This series delves into the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, focusing on: key sectors exposed to priority risks, important players in responding to climate risk, and some of the key challenges raised in the assessment. Register for the series at https://www.theccc.org.uk/news-insights/coming-up/