Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom

Acronym: DEFRA

Country: United Kingdom

Role in CIRCLE-2: Task member in several WP

Webpage: http://www.defra.gov.uk/adaptation

Description

The Government's Adapting to Climate Change (ACC) Programme brings together the work already being led by Government and the wider public sector on adapting to climate change, and co-ordinates and drives forward the development of the Government's work in the future. The Programme is led by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which acts as central co-ordinator for the Programme.

The Programme is in two phases. Phase 1, from 2008-11 will lay the groundwork necessary to implement Phase 2 - a statutory National Adaptation Programme, as required by the Climate Change Act. The objectives of Phase 1 are to:

• Develop a more robust and comprehensive evidence base about the impacts on consequences of climate change on the UK
• Raise awareness of the need to take action now and help others take action
• Measure success and take steps to ensure effective delivery
• Work across Government at the national, regional and local level to embed adaptation into Government policies, programme and systems.

The Evidence Workstream of the ACC Programme is responsible for delivery of climate change research, such as the up-coming UK Climate Projections which provide national and regional climate projections data for the UK, and the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, which is assessing the risks posed to the UK of climate change on a regional and sectoral basis (due for completion end-2011).

Key Personnel

Former Personnel

photo	Kathryn Humphrey
	Peter Newman
photo	Leon Smith