LEEDS CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION SEMINAR

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LEEDS CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION SEMINAR
Presented by Dave Cherry MIOA, MIEMA,
CEnv. Environmental Assessment Manager Transport
Policy, City Development Leeds City Council
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• Contents of Presentation
• Local Weather Trends in Leeds.
• Development of a Local Climate Impacts Profile.

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HAS THE LOCAL WEATHER OR CLIMATE CHANGED IN
LEEDS?

• Weather is whats happening today!
• Climate refers to average weather over gt30 years
• Identified fluctuations in average weather for-
• Historic present temperatures.
• Rainfall intensities distribution.
• Frequency of snowfall frost.
• Frequency of gales.

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• Historical data (1908-2006) obtained from the Met
  Offices Bradford weather station

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SEASONAL TEMPERATURE TRENDS
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Frequency of Hot, Warm Very Warm Days
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• Data obtained from LCCs meteorological station
  (using the 15 minute average).

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Annual Frequency of Wet Periods
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Annual Rainfall in Leeds
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• Air frost defined as the number of days when the
  15-minute average temperature fell below 0C.

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RECENT WEATHER EVENTS IN YORKSHIRE
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HOW TO DEVELOP A LOCAL CLIMATE IMPACTS PROFILE

• A LCLIP will identify existing vulnerability to
  climate risk.
• Trawl through electronic archive headlines from
  regional/local newspapers (Yorkshire Post/Evening
  Post) DC Weather Log!
• Initially, press-ganged two former Leeds
  University students
• Spreadsheet completed for 6 years (2002-07),
  includes-
• Newspaper source/date/headline/weather type
  location
• Relevant facts/figures possible photos to
  describe event
• Reference to future/proposed adaptations
  (limited!)
• Significance of event (Disruption/related issues)
• Press articles summarised date ordered into
  Weather Hazard events, illustrated with
  relevant LCC Met station graphs

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Factors that Affect LCLIP Headlines

• Choice of key words search!
• Dependant on status of News media
• Headlines can refer to Weather Warnings.
• (Many of which did not materialise, locally)
• Since the 1987 Storm, Met Office tend to
  Overcook weather warnings
• YP/YEP covers wide area, problems identifying
  local events.
• Approx 70 of events discarded
• Frequency of events/shock value!

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LCLIP SUMMARY OF WEATHER HAZARDS (Within Leeds
District/Unscreened)
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INTERVIEW STAKEHOLDERS / LESSONS LEARNT

• Lessons learnt!
• Contact relevant LCC external stakeholder(s)/
  hazard event
• Research the impacts consequences of the event
• Has anything been done to reduce event
  vulnerability?
• Need to improve adaptive capacity
• List of Potential Stakeholders-
• Local authority experts e.g. Emergency
  planning/highway maintenance/drainage
  issues/social services.
• Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water
• Utilities (electricity, water gas)
• Emergency services PCTs
• Metro Highway Agency
• Universities / research partnerships

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LCLIP RANKING OF EFFECTS

• Ranking Criteria
• Disruption for different sectors
• (transport/utilities/business/agriculture/scho
  ols/hospitals)
• Hierachy of disruption- 1st Order/Paralysing,
  2nd Order/Crippling, 3rd
  Order/Inconvenience, 4th Order/Nuisance, 5th
  Order/Minimal
• Exceedance of meteorological thresholds
• (Gustsgt70mph heatwave trigger 25mm
  rain/24hr period)
• Other Ranking Criteria (when data available)
• Impacts on infra-structure (buildings/transport)
• Human casualties health / social affects
• Insurance claims / postcode areas
• Community Risk Register/Severe Weather Plan

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Stakeholder Hazard Related Interview LCLIP

• Brief description of LCLIP media information
• Interview will assess event consequences-
• Details of council service Direct Indirect
  impacts
• (Rating of disruption impacts, effects on
  service delivery/ goals)
• The councils Service Response to this event
• (Response actions, trigger levels, monitoring
  of event)
• How the council intends to Build adaptive
  capacity
• (Training, new policies, alternative
  provisions actual adaptations)
• Further information- (Other stakeholders, other
  weather risks)
• Use of UKCIP scenarios Risk Assessment to help
  identify
• (When, where what level to Adapt or
  Climate Proof)