Tim Daley

Northwest Climate Change Partnership

Climate Change Adaptation in the Northwest

What is Climate Change?

Long term changes in weather patterns – 30 year trends

Source: IPCC

The temperature of the world is changing

As is the UK’s…

…and the Northwest of England’s Variation from 1961-1990 mean (annual average maximum and

minimum temperature) - Ringway weather station data

-1.50

-1.00

-0.50

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

1949

1954

1959

1964

1969

1974

1979

1984

1989

1994

1999

degr

ee C

Variation from 1961-1990 mean - annual maximum temperature

Variation from 1961-1990 mean - annual minimum temperature

Source: Met Office data for Ringway weather station

What is the problem with Climate Change? Complex Impacts directly upon local activities Impacts indirectly on the activities of

suppliers, labour supply and external markets

Impacts in the Northwest

Impacts in the Northwest

Impacts in the Northwest

Impacts and Opportunities

What are our options?

1. Do nothing2. Act now

Mitigation Adaptation

Mitigation – dealing with the causes of climate change - reducing emissions from our current activities

Adaptation – dealing with the effects of climate change – reducing vulnerability to risks associated with climate impacts

Why can’t we mitigate now and adapt later?

3 main reasons

Mitigation takes time to work…..

Why can’t we mitigate now and adapt later? Vulnerability

is not solely related to climate impacts…

Why can’t we mitigate now and adapt later?

Adaptation now is cheaper than later…

How does an organisation adapt?

Through risk management

Assess exposure to climate related risks (or rather the impact of

climate change on existing sources of risk)

Decide on vulnerability to those risks

Review options and implement actions

Review implementation in light of changing conditions – climate risks will continue to present moving goalposts

What role is there for the new projections?

How likely…. Offer the opportunity to

your organisations to “quantify” the risk to your operations.

What are we doing in the Northwest?

“Transforming action” in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES)

What are we doing in the Northwest?North West action plan for

climate changeVision for a low carbon

economy and well adapted region by 2020

Action plan developed by a range of advisory groups and partners

Actions on MitigationActions on Adaptation

Focused largely on building adaptive capacity

What are we doing in the Northwest?

Using UKCIP projections to assess the exposure of different sectors to climate-enhanced risks

What are we doing in the Northwest? Incorporating

enhanced coastal and river flooding into current risk management strategies with partners

Assessing the economic cost of increased flood risk

What are we doing in the Northwest?

Assessing the role for Green infrastructure and forestry in alleviating direct impacts

What are we doing in the Northwest?

Assessing the exposure of our natural environment to direct impacts and the effect on our use of ecosystem services.

What are we doing in the Northwest?

Engaging with businesses through existing delivery partnerships to encourage assessment of climate risk to those activities

What are we doing in the Northwest?

Assessing how the region’s health and health services will be impacted upon

The Next Steps….why we are here…

Embedding the new projections into everyday management of risk