UK APPROACH TO CLIMATE CHANGE: IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

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UK APPROACH TO CLIMATE CHANGEIMPACTS AND
ADAPTATION
Dr Penny BramwellDepartment of the
Environment,Transport and the Regions
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Rationale - why is adaptation important?

• Greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere mean
  we will have to adapt to some climate change
• Responsibility for adaptation falls widely - not
  just Govt.
• Costs of not adapting long timescales need to
  prioritise
• Need to engage and raise awareness
• Develop common assumptions toolkit guidance
• Establish mechanism for reporting and monitoring

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DETR Research Programmeon Impacts and Adaptation
Funding of 1 Million p.a. including

• UK indicators of climate change
• Global impacts work
• Bilateral studies with developing countries
• UKCIP
• Initial work on adaptation priorities
• Internal review of vulnerability of key
  operational and policy responsibilities

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Observations / Indicators
Spring date of oak leafing in relation to the av.
temperature in central England in Jan-Mar

• Extreme weather events
• e.g. floods (SE England)

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Helping organisations adapt

• UK Climate Impacts Programme
• facilitating organisations to assess their
  vulnerability to climate change and plan
  appropriate adaptation responses
• taking a stakeholder-led approach and raising
  institutional awareness
• developing a toolkit of climate change scenarios,
  socio-economic scenarios costing methodology
  and guidelines for decision-making and
  undertaking impacts assessments

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UKCIP Programme Structure
Department of the Environment, Transport and the
Regions
Steering Committee
UKCIP Programme Office
Science Advisory Panel
User Forum
INTEGRATION
REGIONAL / SUB-UK STUDIES
SECTORAL STUDIES
DETR/MAFF
Health
South East England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
MONARCH
South West England
North West England
North East England
Biodiversity Review
ACCEL-ERATES
West Midlands
East Midlands
London
Yorkshire Humberside
Gardens
Water Demand
MarClim
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Current status ofsub-UK studies

• Scotland scoping study completed December 1999
• Further studies started

North East England - start-up meeting held May
2001

• Northern Ireland scoping study underway
• Scoping study to be undertaken

Yorkshire and Humberside - start-up meeting held
March 2001
Scoping study initiated / underway

• East Midlands scoping study completed July 2000
• Study to be completed

Conference held

• North West England scoping study completed
  December 1998
• Funding being sought for next steps
• Full study being considered

Scoping study completed

• REGIS study underway in North West England and
  East Anglia - to be completed early 2001
• Eastern region study at inception
• Gaps in Eastern England regional coverage to be
  filled.

Gaps
Integrated assessment underway. Coverage to be
extended

• West Midlands scoping study underway
• Scoping study to be undertaken.

• Wales scoping study completed February 2000
• Funding being sought to implement next steps.

Study output
Further work needed
London start-up meeting summer 2001
South West England conferences held December 1999
(Cornwall) and January 2001 (Cheltenham). Funders
for scoping study coming forward. Scoping study
to be undertaken

• South East England scoping study completed
  November 1999.
• Move to extend area - meeting March 2001
• Gaps in regional coverage to be filled.

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Consortium of key decision-makers formed
UK Climate Impacts Programme
UKCIP facilitated stakeholder workshop - identify
key study issues
Stakeholder consultation
UKCIP tool-kit / guidance
Scoping study
Steering Group
Launch of results and workshop to identify next
steps and priorities for detailed work
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Funders of UKCIP studies

• The Scottish Executive, National Assembly for
  Wales, Department of the Environment Northern
  Ireland, Northern Ireland Environment and
  Heritage Service, Acordis, Arkleton Trust,
  Association of British Insurers, AXA Insurance,
  Blaby District Council, Boston District Council,
  Carlton TV, CCMS - Plymouth Marine Laboratory,
  Cheshire County Council, Cornwall County Council,
  Country Life Magazine, Countryside Agency,
  Countryside Council for Wales, Department of
  Health, Derbyshire County Council DETR Wildlife
  and Countryside Directorate, Dúchas The Heritage
  Service, National Parks and Wildlife (Republic of
  Ireland), Duchy of Cornwall, East Midlands
  Airport, East Midlands Link, English Nature,
  Environment Agency, Farming and Rural
  Conservation Agency, Government Offices for the
  East Midlands, North West England, South East
  England, South West England and West Midlands,
  Hampshire County Council, Kent County Council,
  Lancashire County Council, Leicestershire County
  Council, MAFF, Manchester Airport, Marsh UK Ltd,
  Midlands Environment Business Club, The National
  Trust, The National Trust for Scotland, NatWest
  Bank, North West Regional Association, North West
  Regional Chamber, North West Water,
  Northamptonshire County Council, Nottinghamshire
  County Council, Peak District National Park,
  PROSPER, Rolls Royce plc, The Royal Horticultural
  Society, Royal Society for the Protection of
  Birds, Scottish Natural Heritage, Severn Trent
  Water, South West Water, Surrey County Council,
  Surrey Wildlife Trust, Sustainability North West,
  SWEB, SWEL, Tarmac plc, Thames Water, Toyota UK,
  TXU Europe Power Ltd, UKWIR,University of Exeter,
  University of Plymouth, Wessex Water, West Sussex
  County Council, Westcountry Television,
  Westcountry Tourist Board, Wilkinson and WWF-UK.

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UK Adaptation Priorities

• Commissioned independent research to identify UK
  priorities for action on adaptation workshop
  held with key decision makers
• Adaptation priorities
• Water resources management
• Coastal and riverine flood protection
• Enhanced resilience of buildings and
  infrastructure
• Protection of designated species and habitats
• Land use and sectoral planning
• Better climate information
• Need for awareness raising

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UK Adaptation Priorities

• UK Climate Change Programme (Nov 2000) explains
  the impacts of climate change on the UK how we
  might adapt to them
• Initiated debate on strategic adaptation
  priorities at a national level ongoing - but
  initial feedback suggests
• broad consensus on the adaptation priorities at a
  sectoral level
• debate welcomed but emphasised that more was
  urgently required to fully understand the
  implications
• wide-support for the stakeholder-led approach
  that the Government was taking on adaptation
  through UKCIP
• need for better predictions and data

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Internal Review of Vulnerability

• Internal assessment of the vulnerability of key
  policy and operational responsibilities to
  climate change
• Hope to encourage others to undertake similar
  assessments
• raise profile of adaptation
• alert decision-makers scale and potential costs
  implied by adaptation

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Specific Government Action on Adaptation

• 25 year water resources and drought plans from
  water companies
• promoting efficient use of water (inc. new Water
  Regs)
• incorporated SLR allowance into coastal defences
• 100m programme to improve flood warning services
• commenced development of CHaMPS which include
  consideration of sea level rise

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Specific Government Action on Adaptation

• strengthening planning guidance in flood plain
  areas to advise precautionary risk-based approach
  
• started to consider the huge implications of c.c.
  for the planning process (best practice guide)
• supported agri-environment schemes which will
  help maintain and enhance biodiversity in the
  countryside
• taken action to strengthen protection of SSSIs
• begun to consider implications for Building Regs

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Planned New Work

• No Regrets measures
• More detailed regional work within UKCIP
  (matching funding from regions)
• Higher profile meetings with other Government
  departments and key interest groups
• New UKCIP scenarios - giving greater spatial
  detail and more information on extremes targeted
  guidance
• Input into the Third National Communication

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Other Approaches

• Bilateral meetings and presentations (by climate
  experts) - with those with some vulnerability and
  decision-making responsibilities
• Raising awareness of the need to consider the
  importance of factoring the UKCIP98/02 scenarios
  in planning and other policy guidance

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Conclusion

• Still at early stages
• Fast moving issue
• Floods and other extreme events putting climate
  change in the public eye
• Need to develop awareness without scare-mongering
  
• Need a co-ordinated approach to risk-based
  decision-making
• Need a common framework tool-kit approach