Sustainable Environments

The Sustainable Environments Programme brings together cross-sector expertise and strategic intelligence to build long-term national climate resilience across urban and natural environments.

Accelerating innovation for climate resilience

Climate impacts are already accelerating, increasing pressure across infrastructure, cities, supply chains, and natural ecosystems. These pressures are not isolated, but are interconnected and compounding, requiring a more integrated approach to how risks are understood and addressed.

As the UK seeks to strengthen competitiveness and deliver sustainable growth, climate resilience is becoming increasingly central to how that ambition is realised in practice. The performance of the UK’s growth sectors depends on reliable infrastructure, resilient supply chains, healthy natural systems, and places that can continue to support economic activity under increasing and sustained disruption.

By bringing together stakeholders across sectors, the Sustainable Environments Programme aims to help translate climate resilience needs into practical innovation opportunities that support economic growth and social value.

 

Focus areas

The Sustainable Environments Programme focuses on four connected thematic areas:
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Resilient cities and infrastructure

Exploring how smart city innovation, digital technologies and place-based approaches can help cities better anticipate and respond to climate disruption.

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Biodiversity and nature

Enabling innovation that regenerates and supports healthier environmental ecosystems and strengthens nature-based resilience.

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Extreme heat and cooling

Exploring solutions that respond to overheating and improve thermal comfort.

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Flooding and drought

Supporting innovation that improves understanding, prediction and management of water-related climate risks and pressures.

Join our growing community

Join the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Innovation Network to learn from peers, participate in cross-sector events, and discover best practice on emerging risks, technologies and innovation opportunities shaping the future of climate resilience.

Join the innovation network

Collaborate and build new partnerships

Our experts connect you to the right partners across industry, academia and government to grow and scale your innovation.

Find funding and investment opportunities

Explore relevant innovation competitions and investment opportunities related to sustainable environments and climate resilience.

Learn from expert insights

Explore insights on how emerging technologies, data-driven tools and decentralised approaches can strengthen climate resilience, support adaptation interventions and enable better informed decision-making.

Explore insights

Related Events and Recordings

Thu
13
Nov
2025

Horizon Europe: Adaptation to Climate Change and 100 Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities webinar

11.00 - 12.00 | Online

Watch now
Wed
26
Feb
2025

Climate Change Adaptation - Webinar Series

10.00 - 13.00 GMT | Online

Watch now
See all events

Join the Innovation Network

If you are interested in staying up to date on our latest insights and activities related to the Sustainable Environments Programme, you can sign up to the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Innovation Network.

Join the network
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