Friends of the Earth and two co-claimants are appealing against the High Court’s decision in October to reject their legal challenge to the Government’s climate adaptation plans.

FoE and the co-claimants argue that the current National Adaptation Programme (NAP), introduced by the previous government in July 2023, falls far short of what's legally required, with marginalised groups and those living in areas most exposed to rising global temperatures, disproportionately affected by the impacts of extreme weather and a deficient national adaptation programme. 

The appeal s being made on the grounds that the judge was wrong to conclude that non-specific and unmeasurable adaptation objectives could be lawfully set under the Climate Change Act, and that an assessment of the risk that the policies and plans would fail to deliver their intended impact was not legally required.

The co-claimants also maintain that their human rights have been breached in the making of the plan, not least due to the lack of efficacy in the programme but also due to the failure to include marginalised groups, such as disabled people, in the decision-making process.

The court is expected to make a decision on whether to allow the appeal in 2-3 months’ time.

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