RSUA responds to DAERA consultation on Climate Change Adaptation

RSUA has responded to the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) public consultation on its draft Third Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP3), which was issued in June 2025.

Background

Under the Climate Change Act 2008, Northern Ireland Executive Departments are legally required to present programmes to the Assembly outlining their objectives, policies and timelines in response to the latest UK Climate Change Risk Assessment.

To meet this obligation, DAERA has led the development of coordinated adaptation programmes known as the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP) since the Act came into force.

This consultation sought the views of stakeholders on the draft third iteration of these programmes (NICCAP3), with its actions scheduled for implementation between 2024 and 2029.

RSUA response

While RSUA is generally supportive of the Executive’s proactive approach in this area, as well as the overarching vision outlined in the draft Programme and the associated Key Area objectives, we raised the following items:

• NICCAP3 lacks new funding commitments. RSUA urged the Executive to allocate dedicated funding to the NICCAP3 to ensure its proposed actions are deliverable and that high-level ambitions can be more clearly defined.
• A single mid-term review of actions is insufficient. RSUA recommended more regular progress updates to reflect evolving circumstances and to support timely adjustments where necessary.
• Interim targets should be included. We stated that these would help track incremental progress and enhance accountability throughout the implementation period, ultimately improving the likelihood of successfully delivering over 250 actions by 2029.

Our full response can be viewed here.

If you have any questions or comments about the response, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk