Climate Change Survey Consultation

Background

In order to build on the evidence base from the first Climate Change Risk Assessment in 2012, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) commissioned the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to conduct a feasibility study on whether information on the adaptation economy could be collected by a survey. ONS produced a draft questionnaire following feasibility research with stakeholders, users and experts. The feasibility study found there were issues in respondents differentiating between adaptation for climate change and everyday weather, and in how adaptation products and opportunities are defined.

ONS launched a consultation to explore these challenges further and to see if they could be overcome.

We asked

What are the challenges of completing the draft Climate Change Survey and what benefits may it provide?

You said

• Businesses may have difficulty providing the information requested in the survey, particularly the quantified data.

• You highlighted potential valuable partners with whom we may work, alongside some possible external data sources that could be used, in order to meet some of the user requirements outlined.

We did

• Decide that, resource allowing, we will seek to review user requirements whilst assessing the quality of available data and have more detailed discussions with potential data providers.

• Agree to explore possible data sources reported through EU reporting mechanisms.

• State that, following the consultation feedback, there was no commitment by ONS or Defra to undertake the Climate Change Survey.