Morning, Wednesday, 20th January 2027
Online
This conference will assess latest developments, priorities and next steps for supporting climate adaptation and resilience in Ireland. It takes place following publication of the Climate Change Advisory Council’s Annual Review 2026 in April 2026 and the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Climate Change Risk Assessment in June 2025.
The discussion will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to examine how climate adaptation is being embedded across policy, governance, decision-making and investment, and priorities for translating planning into delivery. Delegates will consider the role of the Climate Adaptation Taskforce in strengthening co-ordination, resourcing, and accountability across central and local government, alongside approaches to mainstreaming adaptation within the forthcoming Climate Action Plan and mobilising private finance.
Mitigating risk
Attendees will assess priority actions for managing risks to critical infrastructure and the built environment, including flooding, coastal erosion and extreme weather. Discussion will focus on implementation of the National Adaptation Framework and Sectoral Adaptation Plans, including interdependencies, cascading risks and alignment with Local Authority Climate Action Plans, as well as the role of data, evidence, and monitoring in supporting investment and risk-informed decision-making.
Maintaining essential services, equity in policy and long-term approaches
Further sessions will look at community preparedness and resilience, including safeguarding essential services and integrating equity and vulnerability considerations into adaptation policy. Long-term approaches to flooding and coastal management will also be explored, including nature-based solutions, insurance innovation, property resilience, compensation and recovery frameworks, as well as options relating to managed retreat.
Overview of areas for discussion
- governance and delivery: implementation of the NAF and SAPs - embedding adaptation into the Climate Action Plan 2026 - strengthening interdepartmental co-ordination - role and effectiveness of the Climate Adaptation Taskforce - improving transparency, monitoring and accountability
- funding and capacity: sustaining and targeting local authority adaptation funding - addressing skills and resourcing gaps - alignment of national and local funding streams - integration into the National Development Plan and annual budgets - enabling private finance and addressing investment barriers
- evidence and risk analysis: applying findings from the National Climate Change Risk Assessment to infrastructure and spatial planning - improving use of data under uncertainty - strengthening indicators and evaluation of SAPs - avoiding maladaptation and addressing distributional impacts - socioeconomic vulnerability mapping
- infrastructure and resilience planning: managing risks from flooding, coastal erosion and extreme weather - addressing cascading and cross-sector dependencies - embedding climate projections into planning and investment appraisal - scaling nature-based solutions - developing insurance and risk-transfer mechanisms
- community resilience and just transition: lessons learned from Storm Éowyn - strengthening preparedness and public awareness - protecting critical services - supporting vulnerable communities - developing fair compensation and recovery mechanisms
