Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide regular assessments of the risks of climate change to the British Overseas Territories.

The environment is a devolved responsibility for the Overseas Territories (OTs), however the UK Government offers its support to tackle climate change in several ways. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) has funded projects including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee which supported OTs in the Caribbean and Bermuda to assess the value of their natural capital and build resilience against hurricane related flood risks. This will enable them to have a detailed understanding of the risks hurricanes pose to their OT, and develop long term adaptation strategies. Defra have funded a project with the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, focusing on the challenges faced by OTs from marine climate change impacts. This project will engage directly with regional experts across the UKOTs, to provide a consensus view on the key issues, and how OTs are responding to them. The work will culminate in a series of summaries for decision makers in the UKOTs. Through the UK Government funded Darwin and Darwin Plus Initiatives, the UK continues to support the ability of the OTs to increase their resilience and ability to adapt in the face of climate change by funding individual projects. The UK Government continues to have regular discussions with the OTs about potential climate change risks, to ensure this is adequately monitored.