Another of the inspiring presentations of the CLIMAAX Virtual Regions Forum came from Ireland, where Tipperary County Council presented its approach to enhancing climate risk assessment at local level. Delivered by Clare Lee, Climate Action Coordinator, and James Fitton, climate risk scientist, the case showed how a local authority can move from qualitative assessments towards a more structured, semi-quantitative methodology.
From frameworks to local action
The Tipperary case illustrates how climate risk assessment operates across multiple governance levels, from European and national frameworks down to local authority planning. While Ireland has recently developed its first national climate risk assessment, local authorities like Tipperary are responsible for translating these insights into actionable strategies through Climate Action Plans.
Within this context, the CLIMAAX framework plays a critical role by advancing existing approaches. It allows the region to move beyond high-level qualitative assessments and towards a semi-quantitative, data-informed understanding of climate risks, strengthening the analytical basis for decision-making and planning.
A broad risk landscape
The region analysed a wide range of hazards, including river flooding, heavy rainfall and windstorms as current priorities, alongside emerging risks such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and snow events. The results confirmed that flooding and extreme weather remain the most pressing challenges, while other risks are expected to increase over time. A key advancement of the project is the shift towards a semi-quantitative approach, combining spatial analysis, data and existing methodologies. This allows for more robust and comparable results, while remaining aligned with national frameworks. At the same time, it highlights the need to adapt large-scale datasets to local contexts in order to produce decision-ready insights.
Collaboration and next steps
Stakeholder engagement has been central throughout the process, involving internal departments, national experts and external actors. This has improved both the quality and usability of the results, supporting their integration into planning and policy processes.
As the project moves forward, Tipperary is refining its focus on priority risks and preparing to define adaptation measures. As highlighted during the CLIMAAX Virtual Regions Forum, the case demonstrates how local authorities can bridge data, governance and local knowledge to support effective climate adaptation.