National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO 14092:2026. It supersedes PD ISO/TS 14092:2020, which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee SES/1/7, Greenhouse gas management and related activities.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 28 February 2026.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, Subcommittee SC 7, Greenhouse gas and climate change management and related activities.

This first edition cancels and replaces ISO/TS 14092:2020, which has been technically revised.

The main changes are as follows:

guidance on climate change adaptation has been added in Annex D;
the information has been updated throughout to reflect the current situation.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

Preparing for risks posed by climate change and planning for adaptation at local government and community levels are essential for the safety and security of society, as well as for its economic, environmental and social well-being. Changes in the climate, often reflected by floods, heatwaves, droughts, coastal erosion and other impacts that have been identified across the globe, pose threats to people’s lives, property and economic well-being, and to ecosystems. The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected that global warming from past anthropogenic emissions will persist for centuries to millennia and will continue to cause further long-term changes in the climate system such as sea-level rise, with associated impacts.^[25^]

This document provides guidance for local governments and communities on how to prepare for such threats and the associated risks. It recognizes that the impacts posed by climate change vary widely from region to region, and directly affect communities’ well-being and local governments including the public services they offer, as well as the safety and security of individuals within their jurisdiction. It is the responsibility of local governments and communities to provide leadership in planning and preparing to manage these risks.

This document also describes how to develop an adaptation plan at the local government and community levels. The planning process details why and how to establish an appropriate (well-structured and collaborative) governance structure and the elements of the adaptation planning and implementation processes. These details include establishing a facilitation team, assessing risks and developing an effective plan, and importantly, monitoring the progress of adaptation implementation and evaluating its achievement with the aim of improving the plan. The step-by-step process presented enables the local adaptation plan to be tailored to suit the climatic, environmental and societal conditions in each case. Applying this document will lead to developing a robust, effective adaptation plan that can be implemented, promoting appropriate climate action today and in the future.

The following two standards are important and interrelated to this document:

ISO 14091 gives guidelines for assessing the risks related to the potential impacts of climate change. It describes how to understand vulnerability and how to develop and implement a sound risk assessment in the context of climate change. It can be used for assessing both present and future climate change risks. Risk assessment in accordance with ISO 14091 provides a basis for climate change adaptation planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for any organization, regardless of size, type and nature. ISO 14091 should be referred to in order to accommodate various user situations and conditions.
ISO 14093 establishes an approach and methodology for a country-based mechanism to channel climate finance to subnational authorities to support climate change adaptation and to increase local resilience thereby contributing to the achievement of the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The country-based mechanism uses performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) which ensure programming and verification of climate change expenditures at the local level, offering strong incentives for performance improvements in enhanced resilience. ISO 14093 provides requirements and guidelines and is applicable to organizations such as national and subnational authorities, donors, companies, financial institutions and international organizations that are involved in implementing a country-based mechanism for channelling climate finance to subnational authorities to support climate change adaptation and resilience. ISO 14093 should be referred to appropriately to manage climate funds, etc.

It is important to note that the climate is changing, and planning and implementing adaptation is a continuous learning and improvement process that requires sustained attention and action. This document is designed to help local governments and communities in taking initial action to create a safe, socially and economically secure and sustainable society that is resilient to the current and future impacts of climate change.

The framework is designed in accordance with ISO 14090:2019. This framework is given in Figure 1.

While the perspective of more vulnerable regions regarding climate change adaptation can be recognized as an important perspective, it has not been incorporated into this document. The local government and community should establish, implement and maintain an adaptation policy with consideration for vulnerable communities, including social and economic aspects in addition to climate risks in the right context.

1 Scope

This document specifies requirements and gives guidance on adaptation planning for local governments and communities.

This document supports local governments and communities in adapting to climate change based on vulnerability, impacts and risk assessments. In working with relevant interested parties, it also supports the setting of priorities, and the development and subsequent updating of an adaptation plan.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Principles

4.1 Accountability

4.2 Continuous learning and improvement

4.3 Flexibility

4.4 Mainstreaming and embedding

4.5 Practicality

4.6 Prioritization

4.7 Proportionality

4.8 Relevance

4.9 Transparency

5 Pre-planning

5.1 General

5.2 Framing adaptation

5.3 Roles, responsibilities and duties of the teams

6 Assessing climate change risks including opportunities

6.1 General

6.2 Identifying climate change

6.3 Analysing climate change impacts

6.4 Climate change risk assessment methods

6.5 Assessing adaptive capacity

6.6 Identifying opportunities

6.7 Identifying uncertainties

7 Formulating the adaptation plan

7.1 General

7.2 Planning considering the policy context

7.3 Identification of potential adaptation measures

7.4 Assessment of adaptation measures

7.5 Decision-making

7.6 Local adaptation plan

8 Implementation

8.1 Leadership and commitment

8.2 Preparation for implementation

8.3 Implementation plan

9 Monitoring and evaluation

10 Reporting and communication

Bibliography

BS ISO 14092:2026

Climate change adaptation. Requirements and guidance on adaptation planning for local governments and communities

Current

Published:

28 Feb 2026