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Adaptation Reporting Power
The Climate Change Act 2008 provides the Secretary of State with a Power, ‘The Adaptation Reporting Power’, to encourage and influence key infrastructure organisations’ adaptation action.
Organisations have been asked to report on:
- an assessment of the current and predicted impacts of climate change in relation to the organisations’ functions; and
- a statement of the organisation’s proposals and policies for adapting to climate change.
Even though there are potentially thousands of organisations that could be asked to report, the first strategy for using the Power has targeted 91 organisations (alongside 16 others who have been invited or have volunteered to report). These organisations are largely responsible for national infrastructure in the energy, transport and water sectors which are sectors of strategic importance to the country. A revised strategy for using the Adaptation Reporting Power will be published alongside the National Adaptation Programme.
Questions
To help us to develop the next round of the reporting strategy, do you have any suggestions for national infrastructure providers or other bodies, who provide services of a public nature that could be asked to report under the Adaptation Reporting Power. Please tell us why you think they could be included.
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Local authorities have such a crucial role to play in climate change adaptation action that they should be subject to the Reporting Requirement. They no longer have a climate change adaptation performance indicator. This is too important to be left to local pressure from citizens through the local political process. Most citizens will be oblivious of what needs to happen to adapt to climate change until an extreme event occurs and that is too late. The reporting requirement need not be onerous on local authorities. If they are already assessing risk adequately, reporting will be easy. If they are not, they need the reporting requirement to prod them to take action!
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Baroness Young,
Many thanks for your comment. You are right to say that local authorities have a crucial role in climate change adaptation – most adaptation action needs to happen at a local scale. Can I ask- what is your view of how well local authorities are currently assessing their climate risks?
If, in the current climate, it is considered appropriate to extend the Reporting Power to local authorities how do you think it could be applied proportionally? What role might be played by sector-led proposals such as ‘Climate Local’, which will increase the transparency of local authority adaptation actions? It would be really interesting to hear views from other people who are participating in this discussion.
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If LAs were expected to report then it may help towards addressing the issue of political acceptance and applying pressure of LAs to address adaptation, since the removal of NI 188.
Businesses, especially big corporation should be included as they have a big role to play in influencing and encouraging public behaviour. Businesses should recognise their responsibility towards tackling climate change.
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Sustainability East facilitates a network of stakeholders delivering on the climate change adaptation agenda in the East of England. At a recent quarterly meeting, there was specific feedback from a number of attendees, that Local Authorities should be directed to report under the Act, now that the obligations under NI 188 have been removed. This might help address the challenge that many face in securing political acceptance.
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Clare,
Thanks for your comment. Can I ask – how do you think the reporting power could be applied proportionally to local authorities? What role could be played by sector-led proposals such as ‘Climate Local’, which will increase the transparency of local authority adaptation actions?
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