The Fourth UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4), mandated by the Climate Change Act 2008, represents the most comprehensive evaluation of climate-related risks and opportunities facing the UK. Scheduled for publication in 2027, CCRA4 builds on previous assessments and introduces new dimensions, including a Technical Report synthesiszing   that reviews the latest evidence and examines risk magnitude, and a Well-Adapted UK Report proposing actionable adaptation targets. [ncr.glasgow.ac.uk]

This special issue seeks to provide a scholarly platform for sharing research that complements and critiques CCRA4, offering insights into methodologies, sectoral analyses, adaptation strategies, and policy implications.

Scope and Topics

We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies addressing themes aligned with CCRA4, including but not limited to:

• Risk and Opportunity Assessment: Advances in evaluating climate-induced risks across the UK’s economy, health, infrastructure, and natural environment.
• Urgency and Adaptation Frameworks: Methodological innovations in urgency scoring and prioritization prioritisation of adaptation actions.
• Sectoral and Regional Perspectives: Climate risk implications for agriculture, water resources, energy systems, and urban environments.
• Scenario Analysis and Modelling: Exploring future climate and socio-economic scenarios for the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s.
• Policy Integration: Linking risk assessment outcomes to National Adaptation Plans and resilience strategies.
• Data and Evidence Gaps: Contributions addressing gaps identified in the CCRA4 Independent Assessment process.
• Interdisciplinary Approaches: Combining climate science, economics, social science, and governance for holistic risk management.

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts should follow the journal’s author guidelines: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jcien#jlp_author_guidelines
• All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.
• Accepted papers will be published online first and compiled into the special issue.

You can submit your full paper here. Once you have registered, navigate to the journal that you wish to submit to. Choose article type “Themed Issue” and then the specific name from the drop-down menu on screen.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Important Dates

•    Abstract deadline: Monday 6 April 2026 using this MS form
•    Deadline of full paper submissions: Monday 29 June 2026

Why Contribute?

This special issue offers an opportunity to influence policy and practice for climate resilience, ensuring that research informs the UK’s adaptation agenda during a critical decade.