Report warns of climate change vulnerability

Published by Fiona Mannion for TCPA in Environment and also in Communities, Local Government

The latest report from the Adaptation Sub-Committee, ‘Adapting to Climate Change in the UK: measuring progress’ has warned that the UK is coping now, but it is near its limits in some key sectors, such as water supply, and could be pushed over the edge by climate change.  It argues that vulnerability to climate change is potentially increasing as a result of patterns of development in some areas and demographic trends such as the ageing population.

The report also highlights that ‘low-regret’ actions to reduce vulnerability, such as improving water efficiency, reducing flood damage to buildings and protecting them from overheating are not being taken, nor are climate risks being fully incorporated into major strategic decisions.

Responding to the report, Stephanie Broadley, GRaBS (Green and Blue Space Adaptation in Urban Areas and Eco-towns) European Projects Officer said:

 “It is vital that we grasp the impact of extreme weather on our towns and cities and the social and economic devastation that this can cause. The Adaptation Sub Committee’s report draws some stark findings, including limited evidence of strategic approaches to address climate risks in local authority development plans.”

“Adaptation is as much about securing the welfare of our communities as it is about tackling climate change. Extreme weather events such as the floods and droughts experienced in the UK are set to increase. Local authorities have a responsibility to protect their people, property, and resources. The GRaBS project has shown how councils can take a positive leading role alongside their communities in developing adaptation action plans and improving the future resilience of their local area.”  

 The ‘GRaBS Knowledge Bank' has been produced to capture a wide range of outcomes, including the learning experiences of the partners to enable other local authorities to adapt to climate change, including Adaptation Action Plans and High Level Policy Statements, as well as seven Expert Papers and a number of Policy Guidelines and Briefing Papers. This ‘Knowledge Bank’ is available on the GRaBS website at http://grabs-eu.org/news.php under the ‘Brochures’ heading.

Another key output of the project has been the GRaBS Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Tool which has been created by the University of Manchester as a GRaBS partner. This is an innovative tool which allows planners to input climate and socio-economic data in to a GIS mapping system, and measure the vulnerability of specific areas to climate change patterns. The tool is available at http://www.ppgis.manchester.ac.uk/grabs