Next steps for climate adaptation in Ireland - governance, funding and resilience

It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities for translating adaptation policy into practical action, and implications for those responsible for planning, investment and delivery, as well as communities, businesses and others affected by climate risks and resilience measures. We expect discussion to consider how responsibilities and costs are shared, where barriers to implementation remain, how different interests and vulnerabilities are taken into account, and what is needed for adaptation measures to be workable, evidence-based and effective in practice.

Delegates will consider lessons from recent severe weather, priorities for strengthening resilience across infrastructure and essential services, and implications for business continuity, local delivery and affected communities. Discussion will draw on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Climate Change Risk Assessment published in 2025, implementation of the 2025-2030 Sectoral Adaptation Plans and the Climate Change Advisory Council’s forthcoming Adaptation Annual Review.

The conference will also consider the effectiveness of the Climate Adaptation Taskforce, priorities for adaptation in the next Climate Action Plan update, and implications of the forthcoming European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework.

Strengthening resilience in policy, planning & infrastructure

The agenda will assess priority actions for managing risks to critical infrastructure and the built environment, including practical implications for infrastructure operators, local authorities, businesses and communities. Delegates will also consider how responsibilities and resources are coordinated across central and local government, where barriers to delivery remain, and whether existing arrangements allow cross-sector issues to be identified and resolved effectively.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• recent findings: EPA’s National Climate Change Risk Assessment - next steps for significant risks identified at a national level - translating emerging research into policy, planning and investment
• extreme weather:
• lessons from recent storms and severe weather - addressing infrastructure vulnerabilities - priorities for preparedness
• recovery and continuity of essential services - climate-proofing capital projects - flood and coastal erosion management priorities
• long-term planning:
• dependencies between energy, communications, transport and other critical systems - revised National Planning Framework implementation
• implications for business continuity and supply-chain resilience
• land use: proposals for a land use governance framework in the recently published A Living Land, Land Use Review: Phase 2 report
• evidence and risk analysis:
• applying findings from the NCCRA to infrastructure and spatial planning - mainstreaming adaptation within the forthcoming Climate Action Plan
• strengthening indicators and evaluation of SAPs - avoiding maladaptation and addressing distributional impacts - socioeconomic vulnerability mapping
• coordination:
• strengthening interdepartmental and cross-sector coordination - effectiveness of existing governance arrangements
• clarity of responsibilities, resourcing and accountability for delivery

Sectoral & local adaptation

Delegates will examine how the 2025-2030 Sectoral Adaptation Plans are being translated into practical measures, what is working in delivery and where further support or changes may be needed.

We expect discussion on delivery capacity at sectoral and local level, community awareness and support for those most vulnerable, as well as how local knowledge and the experience of affected communities can inform decisions where adaptation measures have significant local impacts.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• key sectors and services: strengthening place-based delivery - consistency between national priorities and local action - tackling sector-specific challenges
• alignment: coordination between the National Adaptation Framework, Sectoral Adaptation Plans and Local Authority Climate Action Plans
• recent lessons: experience from recent extreme weather and evolving evidence - implications for local and sectoral planning - navigating funding pressures
• responsiveness: strengthening preparedness and recovery arrangements for critical services and local residents - maintaining continuity of essential services - addressing skills and resourcing gaps
• embedding adaptation: effective incorporation into operational planning, infrastructure investment and service delivery - assessing where nature-based solutions are practical and effective
• long-term coastal management:
• nature-based solutions - insurance availability and affordability - property resilience
• allocation of costs and responsibilities - compensation and recovery frameworks - managed retreat
• engagement:
• provision of clear information, including around complex planning processes - awareness of climate risk - supporting behavioural change
• approaches to community participation in locally significant decisions - developing fair compensation and recovery mechanisms

Financing adaptation & coordination with EU initiatives

Discussion will consider what is needed to finance adaptation in practice, including barriers to investment, the availability of funding for projects at different scales, and the respective roles of government, investors, infrastructure owners and insurers. Delegates will also examine how costs and risks are shared, what may be needed to develop a stronger pipeline of deliverable projects, and implications of evolving European policy for Ireland.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• funding:
• concerns around gaps in finance and resource constraints - sufficiency of existing investment models to support long-term resilience - sustaining and targeting local authority adaptation funding
• joint CCAC and Central Bank of Ireland 2025 report Funding Climate Adaptation in Ireland - priorities for increasing adaptation investment and developing a stronger pipeline of deliverable projects
• private sector finance:
• barriers to making adaptation projects investable and bringing smaller projects to scale - establishing effective stewardship mechanisms
• the role of insurers and government in addressing protection gaps and the availability and affordability of cover
• development of recovery and risk-transfer mechanisms - how costs and risks should be shared between government, asset owners, insurers, investors and other stakeholders
• emerging European approaches to resilience and preparedness:
• forthcoming European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework - likely scope, climate risk assessment, adaptation finance, infrastructure resilience and preparedness
• what may be required for national, sectoral and local adaptation alignment with evolving European policy and regulatory frameworks
• co-operation on risks that cross national and sectoral boundaries - implications for planning, investment, monitoring and accountability

All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.