This workshop note, published on 10 November 2025, summarises the key findings from a one-day workshop held at the Royal Society in October 2025. The workshop brought together 40 researchers, policymakers and practitioners to explore how the UK can better understand, prioritise and respond to international climate risks. The meeting was held to inform the Well-Adapted UK (WAUK) report, which is being developed by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) as part of the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4).
Key insights discussed:
- Integrate climate risk across sectors: Embed climate adaptation into core government, financial, and corporate decision-making rather than treating it in isolation
- Enhance data and transparency: Improve access to historical and forward-looking data, standardise metrics, and foster open data platforms for risk monitoring and evidence-based adaptation
- Strengthen international collaboration: Coordinate with other countries to manage systemic risks in food, finance, trade, and migration, recognising UK resilience depends on global adaptation actions
- Diversify and build resilience: Build flexibility, diversification, and proactive risk management across food systems, supply chains, and finance.
- Invest in health and infrastructure: Expand integrated surveillance, rebuild public health laboratory capacity, and strengthen workforce skills to respond to climate-sensitive and emerging health threats
- Leverage migration strategically: Use bilateral labour agreements, diaspora engagement, and public communication to turn climate-related migration into opportunities while reducing systemic pressures
- Scenario planning and foresight: Use probabilistic, scenario-based models to anticipate cascading and systemic risks across sectors
Key risks:
- Interconnected and systemic risks: Climate shocks abroad can cascade through different sectors, amplifying impacts
- Concentration and dependencies: Reliance on a narrow range of suppliers, crops, and multinational corporations increases vulnerability to simultaneous shocks
- Data and knowledge gaps: Limited forward-looking and cross-sectoral data constrain risk quantification and adaptation planning
- Fragmented governance: Siloed approaches to adaptation and risk management reduce coherence and limit the effectiveness of interventions
- Slow-onset risks overlooked: Chronic risks such as AMOC slowdown, long-term disease trends, or soil degradation may be underprioritised relative to acute events
- Social and economic pressures: Inflation, inequality, and civil unrest can exacerbate vulnerabilities, affecting multiple sectors simultaneously
The note highlights the main themes, insights, and recommendations that emerged from the workshop, including opportunities for further research and action.
This workshop was chaired by Professor David Baulcombe FRS.