We will address some current and future challenges regarding the assessments of impacts of climate and land use changes on landslide activity. The evidence of a general global warming trend is overwhelming. At present, however, the resulting future climate change scenarios are somewhat variable, particularly at a regional level. It follows that a range of possible climate change impacts on slope stability, both negative and positive, need to be considered. It is also recognised that assessments of the temporal impacts of climate change on slope stability are difficult, not least because the historical information on landslide activity is typically episodic and often incomplete. Modifications to slopes by man are capable of both improving and worsening the stability of slopes at a rate exceeding that of recent climatic or geomorphic change; this will add an additional layer of complexity to the analysis of such slopes. It is these issues that have been particularly addressed by the Climate Impact Forecasting for Slopes (CLIFFS) in the UK.
We hope to publish the outcomes of the session in a special issue of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology international refereed journal.