WIREDGOV

The UK Government has released the Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Framework (CARIF), a comprehensive strategy designed to bolster the country’s resilience against the effects of climate change. This framework has been introduced to help guide research and innovation efforts to address climate-related challenges across various sectors, ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of global climate action.

Developed by Defra and the Government Office for Science, the framework outlines where research and innovation can most effectively support the UK’s preparedness for climate change impacts. It covers 11 sectors, from energy and telecoms to cities, transport and finance, while emphasising the need for cross-cutting digital infrastructure and smarter data systems to enable long-term, place-based adaptation.

Rather than addressing climate risk in isolation within individual sectors, the framework recognises the complex, cascading impacts that climate events can have across the UK’s economy and infrastructure. This is a move away from a previously more siloed and individualistic approach to adaptation and presents new opportunities for collaboration, all the while aligning with the Government’s five missions.

For the tech sector, this is a clear signal: climate resilience is becoming a key driver of digital innovation—with far-reaching implications for infrastructure planning, product development, and public-private collaboration.

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