Most communities untouched by benefits of climate adaptation, TCPA Chief Planner tells Commons evidence session

MPs have today been told that there is a desperate need to act on climate change and a massive opportunity, but Government has to send out a very clear message.

The Environmental Audit Committee is taking evidence as part of its inquiry 'Adapting to Climate Change' about whether Government is on the right path to effectively embedding climate change adaptation, and risks from future climate change impacts, into Government programmes, policies and decision making.

Speaking at the EAC inquiry, Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) Chief Planner Dr Hugh Ellis said:
“There is a desperate need to act on climate change and a massive opportunity, but Government must send out a very clear message. The message about the need to address climate change as an urgent priority simply has not reached the majority of decision-makers. Many of our communities remain completely untouched by the kinds of positive solutions green open space, energy demand reduction and renewable energy offer that would help to show that climate change is both real and manageable”

“Dealing with the challenges of climate change can only be effectively achieved through a strong plan-led system. This requires decisions to be evidence-based, timely and grounded in the principles of sustainable development.”

The TCPA’s evidence draws upon the European funded GRaBS project - an ambitious collaboration between 14 partners across eight European Union member states - which aims to raise awareness of the crucial role of planning in adapting to climate change.

Hugh Ellis added:
“Many of the threats of climate change - dangers to human health and comfort; threats to key parts of the economy such as agriculture; vulnerability of most modes of transport, the built environment and critical infrastructure; disasters and emergencies arising from flooding, coastal invasion and storms; and threats to the natural environment and ecological systems – clearly have a spatial dimension. Moreover, planning is one of only a few disciplines that work with the long-term time horizons over which climate change will occur and over which responses must be made. Government needs to address the fact that adaptation is often treated as the poor relation in policy debates, and that its very positive outcomes in terms of creating blue and green infrastructure and enhancing biodiversity are not fully recognised.”

See www.grabs-eu.org for further information about the Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns (GRaBS) project. The project has been co-financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and made possible by the INTERREG IVC Programme.