Closed petition Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact
From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that works with nature and includes public education, infrastructure standards, and local funding.
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We believe Government plans are failing us: what we see as a lack of preparation puts the UK’s life-support systems at risk and a focus on short-term fixes like concrete flood walls distract from deeper threats. We think a joined-up national strategy must include local funding, upland & urban flood prevention, community resilience, ecologically sound infrastructure, housing, health, food & water security. We believe that as risks grow, without strategic action, communities face devastation, so adaptation isn’t optional and must be a policy priority.
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Government responded
This response was given on 26 January 2026
The government recognises the accelerating impacts of climate change, and is preparing to publish its National Adaptation Programme in 2028.
Read the response in full
The impacts of climate change are accelerating, and the need to strengthen the UK’s resilience is more urgent than ever. Under the Climate Change Act (2008) , the government must complete a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years, which is followed by a National Adaptation Programme (NAP), outlining how identified risks will be addressed.
The NAP provides a comprehensive framework to continually and proactively address climate risks and improve the UK’s resilience to climate impacts through effective climate adaptation interventions across sectors. These include climate impacts to nature, the built environment, infrastructure, education, health and the economy.
The government also published the Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, which set out the government’s strategic vision for a stronger and more robust UK and the steps being taken to deliver this, adopting an ‘all hazards approach’ including climate change. We do not consider a separate National Climate Resilience Plan to be necessary in addition to these frameworks.
This government is taking decisive action to improve the nation’s climate resilience. In its response to the Climate Change Committee’s 2025 Adaptation Progress Report, the government set out actions that it is taking across multiple sectors. For example, we are investing more than £2.7bn a year in this parliament in farming and nature recovery. The government is building resilience into its foundational strategies for the environment, food and farming, it is also providing substantial investment in nature recovery schemes and flood defences.
Through Environmental Land Management schemes, we are funding actions to enhance climate resilience, soil health and sustainable food production. The government has also updated planning guidance to support Local Nature Recovery Strategies and is implementing actions on wildfire resilience and soil monitoring.
We are investing at least £10.5 billion by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and repair existing defences – this record investment will benefit nearly 900,000 properties. This includes least £300 million for natural flood management – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.
In June 2025, the government published new national standards for Sustainable Drainage which encourage design to cope with changing climatic conditions.
While significant steps have been taken to adapt to climate risks, we agree that further action is needed to meet the scale of the challenge. That is why the government has committed to setting stronger adaptation objectives to improve preparedness for climate impacts, supporting an ambitious fourth National Adaptation Programme in 2028.
In Summer 2025, Defra wrote to the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to request guidance on a minimum climate scenario and timeframe against which objectives should be developed. The government is considering the CCC’s advice, which was provided in October 2025. The government also committed in UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy (June 2025) to review existing resilience standards across critical national infrastructure sectors. Resilience standards will be considered, where appropriate, as part of setting objectives and delivery plans for the fourth NAP.
Climate adaptation is a policy priority for this government, which is why the it is taking action to improve the nation’s climate resilience, safeguarding people, livelihoods and nature.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs