RDE654 A Review of the Adaptation Reporting Power (evidence synthesis)

Defra leads on climate change adaptation and fulfils the statutory cycle as set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. Part of this Act includes the Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP), which gives the government the power to require certain organisations - 'statutory undertakers' (these provide infrastructure such as utilities, roads and railways) and bodies with 'functions of a public nature' - to report on how they manage the risks of climate change to their delivery and the actions they are taking to adapt to it. The government has a statutory obligation to consult on its strategy for the use of the power ahead of each round of reporting. A fifth round of reporting is due to start at the end of 2026. This research project will provide several key aspects of the evidence base needed to underpin future decisions on how the government can most effectively and efficiently use the power. The overall aim of the research is to provide synthesis and analysis of available evidence in order to determine how well successive rounds of ARP have met the original objectives of the power, how and why the use of the power - and its outputs - have evolved, and how it now fits into the overall sustainability reporting landscape, which has changed dramatically since 2008. This will inform the strategy and approach for future rounds of reporting.