Corporate report

MOJ climate resilience plan 2025 to 2027

Published 17 July 2026

Overview

Extreme weather already causes disruption to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) sites, with hazards such as flooding, overheating and storm damage directly affecting the department’s capacity to deliver key justice outcomes, including punishment that cuts crime and swifter justice for victims. Under all future climate scenarios these hazards and associated risks will increase over time. The adaptation actions outlined in this plan are intended to strengthen the resilience of MoJ’s operations and infrastructure to climate risks, ensuring that the justice system can continue to function effectively.

Through the MoJ’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, we have committed to making MoJ more resilient to the impacts of climate change, in line with our commitments under the Third National Adaptation Programme. In the MoJ’s 2024-25 annual report and accounts, it was highlighted that 89% of prisons are at high risk of flooding and that 65% of all buildings are at high or very high risk of overheating from increased maximum summer temperatures under a 2°C warming scenario. This Climate Resilience Plan supports the delivery of the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and we aim to complete these actions by April 2027.

Our vision for climate change adaptation:

The Ministry of Justice creates places and systems that are adaptive to the rapid, acute, chronic and cascading risks and challenges of climate change, enabling delivery of a world-class justice system that works for everyone.

MoJ’s Climate Resilience Plan

Increasing resilience through business continuity plans and preparedness

To increase our resilience to severe weather events, we will:

• maintain the business continuity plans that are in place across MoJ business areas to ensure the continued delivery of critical functions during incidents, including those caused by severe weather

• routinely review plans and processes with business continuity and resilience professionals from across the department to ensure they remain appropriate for the evolving bigger picture of climate risk. These are informed through risk anticipation processes which provide the latest information about the likelihood and impact of impending threats, including events caused by climate change, such as wildfire, extreme heat, extreme cold and flooding

Understanding current and future climate risk

To keep pace with climate risks and align with our strategic priority of smarter adaptation, we will:

• conduct the second MoJ Climate Change Risk Assessment by 2027, building on lessons learned and stakeholder feedback from the first assessment

• perform scenario analysis to map out physical risks under future climate scenarios and build this into our strategies and policies

Alleviating flood risk

To protect our sites from flooding and to keep in line with our strategic objectives, we will:

• continue conducting flood risk assessments at all high-risk locations

• update flood risk data using the latest Environment Agency mapping

• pilot flood interventions at high-risk sites, including Sustainable Drainage Systems, and evaluate their effectiveness

• design and test prison-manufactured Sustainable Drainage System planters

• continue to develop our flood cost models to incorporate potential implications for prison capacity and possible financial costs for courts and probation sites

• review site maintenance plans and create a process for reviewing site maintenance schedules to ensure they are informed by current climate risks

Tackling overheating

To reduce overheating risk in summer and to keep in line with our strategic objectives, we will:

• pilot overheating interventions at selected sites and assess their effectiveness. These will aim to prioritise passive and fabric-first measures, where feasible, to limit reliance on energy-intensive mechanical cooling and in turn support our wider Net Zero objectives

• continue to conduct overheating research with existing and new research partners to strengthen our knowledge and improve our evidence base

Integrating climate resilience across MoJ

To embed climate resilience into everything we do and align with our strategic priority of implementing more systemic adaptation measures across our estate, we will:

• map key climate risk interfaces across the MoJ and identify effective engagement methods

• share critical information, such as flood risk assessments, with key stakeholders

• incorporate adaptation measures in construction projects, including the prison expansion programme

• embed climate resilience into new facilities management contracts, including maintenance

Governance and reporting

To ensure robust oversight and keep in line with MoJ and wider government sustainability governance, we will:

• convene the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Group to support delivery

• regularly report on adaptation efforts through the National Adaptation Programme

Delivery of this Climate Resilience Plan will be overseen by the Senior Sustainability Board with an annual update to the Departmental Board.

Communicating our impact

To keep everyone informed, we will:

• develop a comprehensive climate adaptation communications plan, which will include key internal updates and external reports, such as MoJ’s annual report and accounts

Follow our sustainable transition

www.gov.uk/guidance/ministry-of-justice-climate-change-and-sustainability