Future climate implications in the North Sea

The climate is changing, bringing more storms, extreme winds, and increasing sea level, among other hazards. But we don't know exactly what the future climate will look like, or where the biggest impacts might be.

So what does this mean for the North Sea and the stakeholders and users that operate there?

Here we explore future climate implications alongside spatial density in the North Sea through consideration of what the possible hazards are, what economic sectors have the potential to be impacted, and what those potential impacts are.

The storyline has been co-designed with sector representatives (shipping, offshore wind, nature and ecosystems, and policy) during a participatory workshop held in the Netherlands in December 2023. It is by no means an exhaustive list of all hazards, impacts and mitigation / risk management strategies. The storyline has been developed to invite discussion and provoke consideration of future climate projections, and implications for planning across sectors.