Facilitation of working groups to enable a sectoral approach to the fourth UK Climate Change Risk Assessment

Background The Climate Change Committee   The Climate Change Committee (CCC) was set up as part of the Climate Change Act. The CCC is an independent body that advises both on reducing emissions in the UK and adapting to climate change in the UK.   The CCC's full range of past reports are available here:    http://www.theccc.org.uk/reports/.  

The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment          Under the Climate Change Act 2008 (section 57), an assessment of the risks facing the UK from the current and predicted impact of climate change is required every 5 years. The CCC is responsible for providing independent advice to the UK Government to inform that assessment.   In summer 2021, the Committee provided its advice to the UK Government on the risks and opportunities facing the UK from current and future climate change as part of the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3). This was summarised in its Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk.   The Committee's advice on the fourth UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4) is due for completion by June 2026. CCRA4 will aim to assess climate change risks to the UK using a more holistic, sectoral approach than previous CCRAs, so that the interactions between risks and the co-benefits of different adaptation actions may be better understood.

In particular, the outputs of CCRA4 will include a 'Well-adapted UK' report that will aim to synthesise in-depth, systemic assessments of the risks to key areas of the economy and society, as well as the interdependencies and cross-cutting interventions between these, bringing together a strategic case for adaptation action. We intend to base these systemic assessments on tailored, in-depth and quantitative modelling commissioned by the CCC, as well as the wider published evidence base.

To ensure that the outputs of these assessments - and hence the outputs of CCRA4 - are as useful as possible for the priority audience of Government stakeholders and decision makers, the specifications for the modelling will be co-developed with these stakeholders. By tailoring the research to end-user and decision-maker need, CCRA4 aims to be well placed to drive adaptation action. The co-development of the outputs and evidence base will continue throughout the CCRA4 cycle, but the first step is to build an initial understanding of stakeholder priorities and where the proposed in-depth, systemic assessments can add most value and how. In particular, this first phase of engagement with stakeholders will help to inform the topics and sectors that will be the focus of tailored modelling projects going forwards, by highlighting where such research would be feasible and where it would add most value for driving adaptation action.

**** See Specification for more detail ****

Additional information: 19.05.23 - Please see attachment SW-0523

The CCC would like to clarify some of the details of this specification following queries from potential suppliers. We recognise that the timescales for this project are very challenging and that there is a need to be mindful of what can feasibly be achieved within the project timelines. For example, we recognise achieving full consensus within working groups may not be possible and the detail of the recommendations in task 5 will be limited by the detail of the working groups' discussions. With this in mind, we want to ensure a quick start is possible following kick-off and that workshop discussions are not starting from a blank page. To facilitate this, the CCC will provide: • Attendees lists for the workshop. The CCC will be responsible for contacting and liaising with attendees and managing attendance, recognising the importance of having the right stakeholders present. Finalised dates for workshops will be agreed with the contractor at kick off but attendees will be approached in advance of this. • Pre-workshop briefing materials. The pre-workshop briefing materials prepared by the CCC and shared with attendees will include background material on the project as well as sector specific information on possible objectives, risks, hazards, exposure, vulnerabilities and adaptation actions derived from the CCC's adaptation monitoring framework and the UK's third climate change risk assessment (CCRA3). In addition to preparing workshop attendees, the CCC will use these materials and wider preparatory work to set the scope for workshop discussions and inform the workshop agendas alongside suppliers' bids. Bidders' suggestions for how the tasks should be structured will be welcomed alongside this input from the CCC. This includes suggestions for the use of the optional workshops but the timescales in the specification will need to be adhered to. • Consultation on recommendations. The recommendations required in task 5 will be produced in consultation with the CCC, noting the detail of these will be limited by the scope of working group discussion. The recommendations should focus on which sectors, or areas within those sectors, should be prioritised, rather than details of potential modelling approaches, although such details are useful to record when they arise. The CCC will be using the recommendations alongside the outputs of other research projects and broader information to come to a final decision on what sectors to prioritise for more detailed sector analysis. Consultation with the CCC and any learning that can feed into the recommendations should develop and be communicated on an ongoing basis as the project progresses.

24.05.23 - contact number updated