Regional Climate Change Impacts in the South West: A discussion of progress and of programme priorities for the next phase: 2005/6 Dr Paul K Hatchwell, biodiversity and climate change consultant A Presentation to: The South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership Executive Group Environment Agency, Manley House, Exeter, April 13 th 2005
Source: Warming to the Idea - Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change in the South West. A Stakeholder-led Scoping Study into the Impacts of Climate Change on the South West Region of England . January, 2003
Integrated Response to Climate Change: The UK’s Government Sustainable Development Strategy, 2004 Source: UKSDS, 2004
Strategic Milestones in National Adaptation • UK Climate Change Impacts Programme publishes Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom (the UKCIP02 Scientific Report): April 2002 • “Over the next 2–3 years, this climate change scenario information will be revised, expanded and developed to meet stakeholder needs better” (UKSDS) • Scoping studies completed for several regions and Cities, including the South West by 2003 • Some Government regions have already published early stage regional strategy documents on adaptation and mitigation, or integrated them into strategic development plans • “A report to be published in 2005 will integrate findings from all UKCIP studies to provide a national picture of the impacts of climate change and emerging adaptation options as currently known” (UKSDS)
Natural Resource and Climate Change Planning in the South West: The Regional Strategy for the South West Environment 2004 - 2014 Extract* *Our Environment: Our Future. South West Regional Assembly in association with the South West Regional Environment Network. The Regional Strategy for the South West Environment 2004 - 2014
Warming to the Idea: Meeting the challenge of climate change in the South West Key Recommendations of the January 2003 Scoping Study: • Review the role of the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership to take forward regional work on climate change. • Ensure that the main findings and recommendations of the Scoping Study are incorporated into current and future strategies and frameworks within the region. • Ensure that the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership continues to have an overall understanding of South West regional work on climate change impacts and adaptation, and to be a focal point for information. • Encourage all organisations to identify appropriate policy frameworks within which to incorporate adaptation strategies. • Increase awareness of the need for climate change adaptation across all sectors. Most stakeholders are ill-informed about, and ill-prepared for, dealing with the potential impacts of climate change. • Ensure that simple messages are conveyed to the media because conflicting messages can create confusion on the direction and magnitude of climate change. • Identify and take forward specific projects for action: Review regional and sub-regional arrangements for emergency - planning in anticipation of extreme weather events. Co-ordinate the development of climate change strategies within local - authorities. Co-ordinate the development of climate change strategies within - sectors in the region. Identify those issues at a regional level where central government - action is required. Undertake further research within selected sectors to better understand - the significance of local impacts.
Possible next stages in the rollout of SWCCIP Phase 1: Current Programme Evaluation (First Year: 2005-6) (a) Assess existing programmes, partnerships, responsibilities, funding, take-up, against agreed indicators and targets (b) Regional conference to establish progress and key barriers, exchange existing ideas and suggestions for future priorities (This to be carried out in parallel with continuing implementation, coordination and monitoring of existing SWCCIP initiatives, to maintain momentum) Phase 2: Programme Review & Update (First Year: 2005-6) (a) Review both target groups and targets/indicators, implement changes to programmes where appropriate, with particular reference to identification of vulnerable stakeholders, level of uptake of adaptation measures and tools in target groups, new climatic and other data, communications strategies (Climate Change Communications Initiative, South West Observatory), and problems identified in Phase 1 (b) Use of various indicators of climate change vulnerability or adaptation success (eg, % property at risk from flooding, uninsured; level of awareness, attitudes and of uptake, usefulness of information and tools available such as FloodRanger as used by developers) (public & business surveys/feedback) (c) Set up working groups to address any need for new/modified indicators and targets, funding needs and arrangements and information exchange (d) Regional conference to discuss input from indicator analyses and working groups, with an agreed updated regional Action Plan together with practical guidelines, baseline for future regular assessments and targets wherever appropriate as the deliverables Phase 3: Action Plan Implementation and Iterative Refinement (Second Year: 2006-7) (a) Implementation: regional, sectoral, local-scale participants to develop/update adaptation programmes with targets and integrate them wherever possible into their wider functions and programmes (mainstreaming) (b) Report to address regional progress and challenges, including local case studies of good practice and barriers, and recommendations for further action (c) Regional conference to discuss findings of the report, establish agreed indicators and targets, firm local and central budgets and other incentives, dissemination of information, timescales for continuing implementation and continual assessment (d) Repeat steps (a) to (c) annually thereafter
Overview of priorities and progress for the first year: 2005/6 • Update regional (UKCIP02) scenarios and associated health, safety and environmental assessments as refined data becomes available on: higher mean temperatures, altered precipitation, extreme events (heatwaves, droughts, flooding, storm surges), fluvial threats including intra-urban flooding, sea level rise, coastal erosion, wind damage. • Assess awareness of climate change / SWCCIP initiatives, particularly all departments within Local Authorities, business, agriculture, the fishing industry and public in general • Ensure that regional and local development planning frameworks take full account of climate change, anticipating modification of national/regional planning guidance • Improve media understanding of the wide-ranging impacts of climate change and its implications; links with sustainable development and planning challenges • Need to get across message, esp. to the public and business, that while we are implementing measures to reduce the risks of dangerous climate change in future, we must still prepare for a bumpy ride in the meantime through adaptation measures • This should be closely linked to clear, practical adaptation advice to stakeholders, both through appropriate sectoral and regional partners and through direct appeals to businesses and the public (for example through wider social agendas on housing conditions, planning, and tax/Council Tax incentives, advertising) • Adaptation programmes and projects in the South West must be both broadened to include new stakeholders, and deepened to increase commitment (incl. through funding opportunities, ‘no regrets’ measures, and identification of new business opportunities). • Ensure regional adaptation measures are seen as part of an overarching sustainable development framework*, consistent with the forthcoming Adaptation Policy Framework/ UKCIP scenarios review /Climate Change Programme review • More opportunities to showcase good practice must be sought • Tools for adaptation (eg those developed by UKCIP, Environment Agency) must be more widely promoted (UKCIP/EA training workshops, conferences, etc) • Controversial adaptation measures must be openly discussed and sensitively designed to avoid creating new environmental problems and damaging conflicts of interest, particularly in the coastal zone (eg, over sea defences, managed retreat, property/transport infrastructure v. nature conservation) • There must be increased, clearly identifiable funds and other incentives for adapting to climate change, with far better access to information about their availability and new business opportunities. The current CCP review provides major opportunities • Coordination of the many existing programmes already making progress through the SWCCIP needs to be stronger, with improved reporting arrangements, audit and dissemination of results and good practice: standardised Adaptation Index? • Liaison with other regional CC partnerships, now covering 7 out of 9 English regions *Notably: UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy , 2005; Our Environment, Our Future , 2004; A Sustainable Future for the South West , 2001 & 2002 review; Building Sustainable Communities; Creating Sustainable Communities in the South West , 2005 ; Making Space for Water; Foresight - Future Flooding , 2004; Making a Difference – the Delivery Plan for a Sustainable Farming and Food Industry , 2004
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