Disseminating climate change impacts on UK transport and infrastructure

Supporting the assessment of climate change risks by conservation bodies

Heidi Roberts ABPmer

A growing proportion of the UK’s infrastructure, particularly for energy generation, is situated in the sea and coastal zone. This trend will continue with the British Energy Security Strategy measure to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, including 5 GW from floating technology. Such infrastructure is exposed to the increasing effects of climate change on the marine environment.

ABPmer’s latest review paper for the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) explores this challenge, discussing climate change impacts on marine transport and infrastructure.   

MCCIP is the primary independent source of marine climate change impacts evidence and adaptation advice to UK policy advisors and decision-makers. The UK MCCIP work programme produces report cards documenting how the changing climate is affecting, and will continue to affect, the seas of the UK and Ireland.

ABPmer’s review paper, our third discussing marine transport and infrastructure, informs the Transport and Infrastructure report card, as part of a ‘hub’ of report cards exploring the societal impact of climate change.

The paper provides an overview of the current and future changes to sea-level rise, winds, storms, waves, coastal geomorphology and sea surface temperature around the UK. It discusses how this environmental change is affecting marine and coastal industries and shipping along with the confidence we have in the evidence and potential impact. It also identifies the key challenges and emerging issues which need to be tackled as more of our critical energy infrastructure is being built in our marine environment, with the risk of climate-related damage expected to increase.

Our review paper and report card form part of MCCIP’s evidence base supporting conservation bodies as they assess the range and scale of climate change risks, and develop their responses.

Read the Transport and Infrastructure paper and report card at mccip.org.uk


ABPmer specialises in one of the most challenging environments on earth: the ocean. Our technical specialists understand the ocean’s systems, the life it supports and how humans make use of it. Our experienced subject leads can deliver solutions to even the most challenging project.

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