The Costs of Adaptation for UK Transport and Land Systems (Paul Watkiss Associates)

About this document

Paul Watkiss Associates undertook supporting research to conduct an initial assessment of the costs of adaptation for the land and transport system, which is included in the CCC’s bespoke analysis of investment for key actions across the Well-Adapted UK report. The analysis uses published costs where they are available and then uses a variety of approaches to estimate future costs. The rapid analysis should be considered indicative, and a basis for further analysis.

This report reflects the views of Paul Watkiss Associates, and does not represent the views of the CCC.

Key messages

• There is limited published information on current adaptation spend in the transport sector (estimates do not include adaptation for ports, airports, or waterways). There is data on public spending for many components of the land system, but it is not possible to easily split out the proportion of these which can be counted as adaptation.
• The analysis shows a central range estimate in the order of several billions a year across both systems for the 2030s, with costs likely to rise out to the 2050s. These costs are to be taken as indicative, and many actions are omitted due to lack of evidence. Further evidence is needed to gather robust cost estimates for future periods across these systems.

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