Strategic Goal 3: Deliver on Climate Adaptation and Climate Resilience. This goal will ensure the sector adapts their buildings, infrastructure and natural environment to the changing climate and increase the climate resilience of our communities and organisations. It also recognises that local authorities will have a role to play in the implementation of other sectoral plans, e.g. flood risk management, water quality and infrastructure, heritage, transport infrastructure and biodiversity. Key Objectives Continue implementation of local authority climate adaptation strategies, enhance access to climate risk data and assist communities in local resilience planning. Capture the opportunities from climate action by enhancing our natural environment, buildings and infrastructure to increase the climate resilience of our organisations, our infrastructure and our communities. Prioritise nature-based solutions, where possible. Support other agencies in the implementation of other sectoral plans at local level. Continue to advance and embed climate adaptation within all forward and physical planning processes. Local authorities are on the front line of climate change and climate adaptation because the physical effects of climate change manifest locally through incidents of flooding, coastal erosion or other extreme weather events and our measure of climate risks needs to be understood in the context of geographically defined areas. Local authorities are well positioned to observe risks and identify indicators of climate change at a local level but also to help coordinate emergency responses when necessary. Local authorities in Ireland are acutely aware of the systemic nature of climate change risks and how impacts vary across the country and even within counties. While the direct impact from climate change may be observed in one specific Local Authority area these effects can have knock-on effects across interconnected catchments, regions and sectors. Because of this, local authorities have been leading the way in terms of climate adaptation measures but the pace and scale of adaptation needs to significantly increase in order to address the levels of physical climate risk. Delays in acting on the Adaptation Strategies and adpatation actions is likely to lead to rising costs and politically tough choices such as downgrading assets or relocating people. Local authorities already have Climate Adaptation Strategies in place and are rolling out actions to ensure we adapt our buildings, infrastructure and natural environment to the changing climate while increasing the climate resilience of our communities. The strategies include advancing climate adaptation already embedded in all forward and physical planning processes, enhancing access to climate risk data, assisting communities in local resilience planning and prioritising nature-based solutions, where possible. Local Authorities also play a key role in the implementation of Climate Adaptation Sectoral Plans e.g. flood risk management, water quality and infrastructure, heritage, transport infrastructure and biodiversity. Visit our Case Studies section to see examples of how local authorities deliver on climate adaptation and climate resilience.