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Memorandum submitted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (ACC22)
Introduction
1. The Earth's
climate is changing. Global temperatures are predicted to continue rising,
bringing changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency
and intensity of extreme weather for the
2. Published on 18 June, the
UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) show that although reducing greenhouse gas
emissions is critical to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change,
past emissions mean that some changes are now inevitable whatever we do. Taken together with other evidence, the latest Projections show that
the
3. The
Government are leading action nationally and internationally on climate change
adaptation-domestically through the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change
Programme (ACC Programme), which is co-ordinated by Defra. The ACC Programme will co-ordinate and drive forward the
development of the Government's work on adaptation in the future, to make sure
there is action to
deal with the consequences of a changing climate resulting from increased
levels of greenhouse gases. Adaptation is a devolved
issue and, following the example of the NAO briefing commissioned for the EAC's
inquiry, this response covers Government policy in
4. As the NAO report reflects, the work of the ACC Programme on adaptation, and across Government, is at an early stage and the material contained within this memorandum represents work in progress. All Government Departments are working towards practical adaptation on the ground, in our schools and hospitals, transport networks and businesses. With resources limited, there is greater pressure to ensure that we adapt wherever possible through our mainstream service delivery, rather than viewing adaptation as an 'add-on', emphasising the importance of a successful systematic approach that will deliver practical results for the long term.
5. This memorandum has been prepared by Defra in collaboration with and on behalf of those Government Departments covered by the NAO report to this Committee on Government adaptation. The main body of the memorandum addresses in turn the questions posed by the EAC inquiry, focusing on the work of the ACC Programme and cross-Government activity. Examples of direct adaptation by Government Departments are provided in Annex A under six main themes-business and economy; infrastructure; agriculture, food security and the natural environment; homes and buildings; public health; and flooding and coastal erosion.
Summary of progress
6. The work of the ACC Programme is organised across 4 key themes: developing a more robust and comprehensive evidence base about the impacts and consequences of climate change on the UK; raising awareness of the need to take action now and help others to take action; working across Government to embed adaptation into Government policies, programmes and systems; and measuring success and taking steps to ensure effective delivery. ACC is an 'enabling' programme, bringing together and taking forward work across Government. The Climate Change Act 2008 has established a statutory framework for adaption, driving us towards preparing a National Adaptation Programme by 2012. Through this statutory Programme, and through reporting to Parliament, the Government will ensure that adaptation becomes embedded across Departments, and by other public bodies, businesses and individuals.
7. Since spring 2009, when the National Audit Office (NAO) carried out its review of Government policy on adapting to climate change, further progress has been made towards this goal. This includes:
Stronger evidence
· the launch of the new UK Climate Projections in June 2009 is a major
step forward, demonstrating the reality of a changing climate for the
· the Government are committed to carrying out a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years (and will complete the first cycle of reporting by end-January 2012). This will include an Adaptation Economic Analysis to identify the scale of costs and benefits of adaptation. We have already completed a scoping study to explore options for the project and identify which of these are critical to producing a successful risk assessment and we published the results in June 2009. We have now contracted a consortium to undertake the CCRA and work is now under way.
Embedding adaptation
· all Government Departments have committed to producing Departmental Adaptation Plans (DAPs) by spring 2010; these will set out how they are assessing and managing the risks from climate change to their policies, programmes, and estates. Departments have already started work on their Plans using agreed new guidance. Departments are strongly encouraged to develop these plans alongside the Carbon Reduction Delivery Plans, which DECC has recently commissioned, and, if possible, to work towards the production of a joint 'Climate Change Plan', which addresses any connections or interdependencies between mitigation and adaptation actions;
· The Climate Change Act 2008 gives the Secretary of State the power to direct 'reporting authorities' in the wider public sector to report on their assessment of current and future climate change impacts and their proposals for adaptation. A public consultation on the use of the Reporting Power ended on 9 September and we received 65 responses. These are currently being considered and views of organisations will inform the Government's strategy for reporting, which will be laid before Parliament by 26 November 2009;
· the ACC Programme and HM Treasury published revised Government appraisal guidance in June 2009. The supplement to the Government's own project, policy and programme appraisal guidance (the 'Green Book') will help better embed climate change risk management in all public spending, and ensure that policy and investment decisions take account of adaptation;
Awareness-raising
· the Projections in Practice awareness programme-aimed at a range of different sectors, regions and themes-continues to be very well attended and is helping policy makers from local and national government, third sector organisations, businesses, and members of professional organisations better to understand UKCP09 and how it can be used to support adaptation planning;
· the Adapting to Climate Change website provides a full range of information about UKCP09, the latest Government action, and what individuals can do to adapt to a changing climate;
· funded primarily by Defra, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) is an advisory service, helping a range of organisations from the public, private and third sectors to boost their understanding of the need for adaptation action, and to provide and promote information and tools needed to take action. The work of UKCIP is a key part of the process of raising awareness of UKCP09.
Measuring progress
· in 2008, the Government introduced a new indicator on adaptation, National Indicator (NI) 188. NI188 allows all local authorities to assess their progress against 5 levels of achievement from completion of a climate risk assessment to a comprehensive action plan and monitoring process. 56 of 150 local areas have chosen188 as a priority in this round of Local Area Agreements. In this first year of operation, 82% of these local authorities met or exceeded their agreed targets for performance. Beyond this, just under half of all local authorities have assessed themselves as Level 1 or above which means as a minimum they have made a public commitment to identify and manage climate risks and have identified their key priority risks. Further work is now in train, looking at the guidance and support that local strategic partnerships will need in future;
· the Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC) of the Committee on Climate Change has a statutory role to provide an assessment of progress towards implementing the objectives, proposals and policies of the ACC Programme. The ASC's Chair, Professor Lord Krebs, was appointed at the end of May 2009. A further six board members were appointed at the end of June 2009, and two additional members will be appointed over the autumn.
The following diagrams illustrate the timeline, relationships and processes governing the key statutory and governmental elements of the ACC Programme. This should provide a point of reference for the narrative material provided below in response to the Inquiry's key questions.
Timeline for key ACC Programme activities
Process for implementing statutory framework
Programme governance and scrutiny of statutory adaptation and the ACC Programme
How far will the ACC Programme increase resilience by embedding adaptation and climate change risk assessment into the work of Government Departments?
Departmental Adaptation Plans, to be published in Spring 2010, will set out what practical steps each Government Department will take over the next two years to safeguard its policy objectives and programmes, and to improve leadership and delivery of adaptation by making relevant changes to operational systems and processes. Further projects within the ACC Programme will provide practical support for this in relation to adaptation of infrastructure, the Government estate and public procurement.
8. The recent review from the National Audit Office (NAO) on climate change adaptation (July 2009) found that all Departments have made a start in considering key climate change impacts. However, considerable variation exists in terms of progress to-date and capability within Departments and the ACC Programme is continuing to work to embed adaptation into Government policies, programmes and systems.
9. In June 2009, the Government announced that all Government Departments will produce Adaptation Plans by spring 2010. These will focus on the policy objectives and activities likely to be significantly affected by climate change and therefore require immediate consideration (such as major construction projects). At the same time, Adaptation Plans will define action to build capacity within Departments to deal systematically with climate change in the longer-term. The ACC Programme is working closely with DECC to align Adaptation Plans with their work on greenhouse gas reduction, with the expectation that, where appropriate, Departments will produce combined Climate Change Plans setting out a comprehensive approach to mitigation and adaptation. Departmental Adaptation Plans will also be an important building block in the development of the Government's first statutory National Adaptation Programme, due to be put to Parliament in 2012. This will be monitored by the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Climate Change Committee. Departmental Adaptation Plans will be updated annually and substantially revised every 5 years.
10. The first Adaptation Plans in spring 2010 will help to demonstrate how all Departments are considering adaptation. The Plans are intended to benefit:
· Departments themselves (by improving planning and preparedness to manage inevitable climate change);
· the Government as a whole (by enabling Departments to look at the links between them, and by allowing best practice to be shared); and,
· business, communities and the general public (by boosting confidence and offering assurance that Government are demonstrating leadership).
11. Defra has funded the
establishment of a new 'Adapting Government' team within the ACC Programme to
encourage progress across
12. Further activity to ensure that the long-term consequences of climate change are being taken into account across Government includes:
· a 2-year (to March 2011) cross-Government project, led by the ACC Programme, looking at how to increase the long-term resilience of infrastructure in the energy, transport and water sectors to the impacts of climate change. The work will identify the technical and operational implications of long-term climate change on the three sectors and recommend solutions to overcome any barriers. Findings from the project will inform future governmental adaptation work;
· as part of a Whitehall-wide consultation on a revised set of targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE), all Departments are being asked to consider a proposed new indicator and target covering adaptation. This will require implementation and monitoring of measures and changes to adapt to the effects of a changing climate. Views are being sought on whether this should be delivered by Departments through the SOGE framework, or alternatively via the Office of Government Commerce's (OGC) High Performing Property Programme;
· the ACC Programme is working closely with OGC to develop guidance on how to incorporate climate change adaptation within the public procurement process. Guidance, which is expected to be published in spring 2010, will be relevant for Departments, agencies and the wider public sector;
· Government Departments have been closely involved with the Steering Group set up to guide the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), and will be consulted throughout the project. This should ensure that the CCRA is relevant and its findings of practical use to Departments for future adaptation planning;
· the statutory adaptation Reporting Power will be an important source of information for Departments on climate change risks affecting organisations in their key sectors, and the adaptation needed to increase resilience.
To what extent have Government Departments identified the risks from a changing climate that will stop them from meeting their objectives?
The NAO report provides a benchmark assessment of Departmental progress. Departmental Adaptation Plans will build on this foundation, requiring Departments to consider risks across all of their Departmental Strategic Objectives and agree practical action to address priority risks by spring 2010. This work will feed into the national Climate Change Risk Assessment, to which all Government Departments will contribute. The CCRA will report on key national risks in January 2012.
13. The above-mentioned NAO briefing presents Departments' self-assessments of their current progress in assessing and managing risks from the future impacts of climate change. The NAO found "signs of growing awareness and understanding, progress in identifying and assessing risks, and examples of individual policy responses". However, considerable variation exists; for instance, some Departments are already getting on with assessing and managing climate change impacts, whereas others are only just 'getting started' in terms of building capacity to assess and manage these risks.
14. The latest climate projections (UKCP09) will help Departments to develop more detailed and informed risk assessments (although it will take some time for this information to translate into impacts and to help determine future actions). The development of Adaptation Plans should encourage Departments to engage with this information as they continue to define the climate change impacts on their strategic objectives and the role that adaptation will play in the successful delivery of these objectives. These Plans should also give assurance that individual Departments are preparing appropriately to safeguard their longer-term operations and build capacity to adapt to climate change for the future. As a minimum, each published plan should:
· set out a Department's priorities for adapting to climate change, highlighting which particular climate impacts pose the greatest threat, and making clear how it will demonstrate leadership;
· set out what will be done to address each major policy priority-at the level of Departmental Strategic Objectives (DSOs). This should give particular consideration to planned policy development where proposed strategies or new legislation will have a long term legacy;
· show how the Department will build capacity for climate change adaptation in terms of leadership, the development of resources and skills, and embedding of adaptation in core processes (such as procurement, or the use of impact assessments as part of the policy-making process);
· summarise any major planned investment in estates and assets, to ensure that adaptation can be addressed from the outset-i.e. as part of planning and design.
15. Departments will be able to access support and guidance from the ACC Programme to help them in developing their Adaptation Plans. The involvement of Departments in the Climate Change Risk Assessment process will also help to highlight risks to their objectives.
How suitable are the processes and structures in and across Government Departments for identifying, mitigating and managing these risks and determining the future priorities of central Government's approach to adaptation (and the National Adaptation Programme)?
The extent and suitability of current Departmental structures for identifying and managing climate risks varies, but will be strengthened through the application of systematic Guidance for the production of Departmental Adaptation Plans by Spring 2010. This work will complement and inform the development and implementation of the first statutory national Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA). Together, Departmental Adaptation Plans, Reports from authorities and the CCRA will be a significant step forward in providing a comprehensive picture of national climate impacts and risks, and will inform the development of the statutory programme.
16. The NAO report identifies differential progress between Departments in ensuring that their operational systems and processes systematically identify and address climate impacts and risks. New Departmental Adaptation Plans will set out the practical steps each Department will take to improve these systems and build its adaptive capacity. ACC Guidance on Adaptation Plans builds on the work of the NAO in requiring Departments to identify actions needed to improve leadership; people and skills; policy and strategy; operational systems; and estates. As a minimum step to improve leadership of adaptation, all Departments will identify a Senior Owner at Management Board level who can take overall responsibility for adaptation. This will help actively to engage people across the Department, drive work forward, and deliver an effective and action-orientated Adaptation Plan.
17. In many cases, successful adaptation
will require co-ordinated cross-Departmental action. The process
of developing Adaptation Plans will allow Departments to consider
systematically the need for more joint working with other parts of
18. The Climate Change Act 2008 introduced a new adaptation Reporting Power, which enables the Secretary of State to direct public bodies and statutory undertakers (companies such as water and energy utilities) to report on climate change risks to their activities (this is discussed in more detail below). We will set out our strategy for use of this power to Parliament by 26 November 2009. These reports will include an assessment of potential climate change impacts and set out an action plan to address these risks. Once the first round of reports has been received in 2011, Departments will be able to use future iterations of their Adaptation Plans to summarise the key risks and actions highlighted within their sectors and where necessary how they will be reflecting these in their own work. The ACC Programme is continuing to work with partners such as the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) to help in promoting and sharing the latest UK Climate Projections actively with other Departments and sectors, which will drive improved identification of climate risks.
19. In addition, the Climate Change Act establishes that a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) must take place every five years. A National Adaptation Programme (NAP) will respond to the CCRA, addressing the key areas it identifies. The Government's intention is to have the first NAP in place in 2012. Work undertaken by Departments in the context of their Adaptation Plans (e.g. in identifying key priorities and improving their evidence and understanding of climate risks) will inform the development of the statutory risk assessment and the national programme. Subsequent Departmental Adaptation Plans from 2012 onwards will follow and be informed by the CCRA cycle and closely aligned with the overall NAP.
How well has the overall direction for work on adaptation been set, the effectiveness of the statutory framework (including the use of the Reporting Power and its accompanying statutory guidance), the allocation of powers and duties?
The Climate Change Act 2008 sets a clear framework for action across Government and the wider public sector, based around comprehensive risk assessment, a statutory National Adaptation Programme and statutory reporting by operators of essential public services and infrastructure. All elements of this framework will be operational by the end of 2012. Work by the ACC Programme to date has set a clear direction for the implementation of the statutory framework and this has been widely endorsed by stakeholders through recent consultation on the use of the statutory Reporting Power and engagement in the development of our approach for the national Climate Change Risk Assessment. Regular scrutiny of the direction and effectiveness of adaptation will be the responsibility of the new Adaptation Sub Committee of the independent Committee on Climate Change.
20. Parliament has set the overall direction for work on adaptation in the context of the Climate Change Act 2008, which establishes that:
· a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment must take place every five years;
· a National Adaptation Programme must be put in place and reviewed
every five years to address the most pressing climate change risks to
· the Government may require public authorities and statutory undertakers to report on how they have assessed the risks of climate change to their work, and what they are doing to address these risks;
· the Government are required to publish a strategy outlining how this new power will be used, and identifying the priority organisations that will be covered by it; and,
· the Government will provide statutory guidance on how to undertake a climate risk assessment and draw up an adaptation action plan.
21. The decision to place action on climate
change adaptation on a formal, legal basis demonstrated the Government's
commitment to ensuring that the
22. The first part of the statutory framework to be used is the adaptation Reporting Power. As above, the Climate Change Act 2008 gave the Secretary of State the power to ask public sector organisations, and statutory undertakers (such as energy and water companies), to report on their assessment of the risks that climate change poses to their interests and activities, and the actions they will need to take in response.
23. Since 18 June 2009, Defra has been consulting publicly on the key questions associated with the proposed use of the new power, and seeking views on:
· our proposed strategy for using the reporting power including the proposed list of priority reporting authorities (those sectors and organisations that are essential to the country's ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change);
· draft Statutory Guidance to reporting authorities (intended to support those organisations going through the process of assessing the risks from climate change and drawing up adaptation plans); and
· an Impact Assessment, forecasting the costs and benefits associated with the proposals.
24. The closing date for responses to this consultation was 9 September 2009. Responses are currently being analysed and the final strategy for use of the Reporting Power, and we will present the list of reporting authorities to Parliament by 26 November 2009.
25. Those responding to the consultation are overwhelmingly clear that we have set the right direction for the priority organisations who we will ask to report on their adaptation plans. We have had considerable levels of support for the criteria that we have used, and the proportionate way in which we are proposing to use the power. The consultation responses have been very favourable about the use of the Reporting Power and statutory guidance. Where there have been suggestions for change, it is generally on the basis that the statute does not give the Government enough levers over the private sector-such as the agricultural industry, food sector or electronic communications.
26. The publication of the statutory National Adaptation Programme will influence our future strategies for using the adaptation Reporting Power. As above, the Government need to lay their first report on the use of the Reporting Power before Parliament in November 2009, and will produce the first Climate Change Risk Assessment by January 2012. The second strategy for using the Reporting Power (including any changes to the list of priority reporting authorities) and the National Adaptation Programme will follow within a year of the publication of the Risk Assessment. All of these outputs are linked and both the reports and the CCRA will feed information into the National Adaptation Programme.
27. The overall (non-statutory) direction of work for the ACC Programme has been set in themes as described at paragraph 4, above. Feedback from stakeholders has generally been positive that these are the right areas to concentrate on in an enabling Programme at this stage in public understanding of adaptation. We will be reviewing these in the longer-term as many of the individual projects under the ACC Programme deliver their first outputs and as adaptation policy and delivery become more mature.
How well are issues like social justice addressed in adaptation policies?
Equity is a key objective of the ACC Programme. Social justice is addressed through practical delivery work, such as the Environment Agency action to promote effective adaptation to coastal erosion in different socio-economic contexts, as well as being systematically embedded in adaptation policy through the Green Book Supplementary Guidance, which promotes equity as one of three essential benchmarks of well-designed adaptation. Cross-Government work on Departmental Adaptation Plans will also consider and address the collective impact of Departmental adaptation responses on different communities and groups of vulnerable citizens.
28. New supplementary 'Green Book' Guidance on Accounting for the Effects of Climate Change (published in June 2009) emphasises that well-designed adaptation measures should be effective, efficient and equitable. The Guidance goes on to stress that: "Some of the groups most vulnerable to the effects of climate change may also be least able to adapt to the effects of climate change. It will not be possible to avoid all of the costs imposed by climate change. The distributional consequences of different options should be analysed to inform decision-makers of the effects of the activity on different groups".
29. The Green
Book methodology should be used to make an economic assessment of the social
costs and benefits of all new Government policies projects and programmes. For
example, the Environment Agency, which is responsible for maintaining and building
new flood defences across
Have short-term priorities for action including identifying and protecting key infrastructure and systems (for example power, food, water, transport infrastructure, defence and security) been identified and how are these being addressed?
The ACC Programme has systematically identified and prioritised key national infrastructure and systems through work on the Adaptation Reporting Power and Infrastructure projects, regarding which short-term action will be delivered in the next two years. The Reporting Power consultation identifies 103 providers of key public services, including power, food, water and transport infrastructure, each of which will (if so directed) conduct and report on its own risk assessments and adaptation actions within two years. This will be supplemented by new National Policy Statements covering energy generation and transport. These will ensure climate risk is considered in the design and build of new large infrastructure.
30. Departments are considering short-term priorities for action in relation to infrastructure and systems. For example:
· Forthcoming National Policy Statements issued by DECC and DfT will provide clear guidance for applicants and a decision-making framework for the Infrastructure Planning Commission. These will ensure that all new nationally significant infrastructure will be located, designed, and built with the long-term impacts of climate change in mind. National Policy Statements for the energy infrastructure and ports sectors are expected to be issued shortly for public consultation;
· the Cabinet Office is undertaking an assessment of the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure to flooding and other natural hazards and is working with the relevant lead Departments, economic regulators and operators to reduce those vulnerabilities. The ACC Programme is working closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure consistency and share good practice;
· the adaptation Reporting Power and the development of Departmental Adaptation Plans will provide new mechanisms for systematically considering climate change risks to key policy objectives, systems and infrastructure and identifying short-term priorities for action.
31. Annex A (attached) provides examples of the latest specific adaptation measures which Departments are taking, including those to protect key infrastructure and systems.
What progress is being made in monitoring and evaluation of work on adaptation? How can progress on adaptation can be quantified and success measured?
Quantitative measurement of successful adaptation is challenging in the short term, as outcomes may take decades to realise. In the short term, Departmental Adaptation Plans; national indicators for adaptation in the local government sector; proposed new indicators covering adaptation of the Government estate; and milestones from Reporting Authorities' action plans will enable us to measure progress. For the longer term, an ACC Programme project to develop a suite of indicators for adaptation will provide more qualitative, outcome-focused basis for measuring success.
32. As the NAO briefing noted, "measuring progress on adaptation, particularly in outcome terms, is difficult: outcomes may not be seen and measurable for 30-50 years, and most of the current effort is around building adaptive capacity which is hard to define and measure". Against this background, the ACC Programme is continuing its work to develop a suite of indicators for adaptation, but it remains at an early stage and there is currently little we can draw on in terms of accepted methodology for evaluation of work on adaptation. Our approach is therefore to focus on building adaptive capacity, taking account of information generated by many of the current work-streams within the ACC Programme. The NAO's survey on adaptation cross-Government has also contributed to the development of a baseline of adaptive capacity on which we could build. Furthermore we will seek to complement these measures of adaptive capacity with outcome-focused indicators. However, we fully recognise the need to strike a suitable balance between the complexity inherent in each potential outcome indicator and associated resource intensity of this approach.
33. That said:
· Departmental Adaptation Plans should define the key risks identified to a Department's strategic objectives as a result of climate change and the role that adaptation should play in the successful delivery of these objectives. The Plans should also give assurance that the Department is preparing appropriately to safeguard its longer-term operations and capacity to adapt to climate change for the future;
· an indicator for adaptation is included in the new local government performance framework (NI 188), and all local authorities and local strategic partnerships (LSPs) are required to report on their progress annually. To learn lessons from the first year of its use, the ACC Programme commissioned a review of the year 1 indicator reports. The main message was that the majority of local authorities have met the targets set for performance. Areas for further improvement to build on this success include considering the significance that partnership-working plays in making progress, sharing methodologies, and providing tangible examples of how to make the step from planning and identifying risks to taking action. The report will form part of the evidence for agreeing with our partners (LGA, RDAs, NE, EA and a cross-section of local authorities) the priorities for the next 3 years and to consider what additional guidance and support LSPs may need in the future;
· the ACC Programme is currently developing a strategy for the use of the new statutory Reporting Power. This will require public bodies and statutory undertakers to report on the likely impacts of climate change and how they plan to address them. Through the process of issuing Statutory Guidance to reporting authorities, our approach also stresses the importance of monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of actions to address key risks and deliver adaptation actions.
What funding, support, training and other resources are available, including at local and regional level, for: building capacity to adapt to climate change; helping individuals and organisations conduct their own climate change risk assessments and judge what actions they need to take?
Investment in the Government's ACC Programme has been increased to provide greater support and resources for adaptation at all levels (national, regional, local and organisational) and now totals £9 million annually. The ACC Programme team and its externally funded organisations provide a broad range of support to other Government Departments, regional bodies, local government, public services and business. This includes promotional work to raise awareness and understanding of projections, through regional and sector events; training and guidance in interpreting and using the scientific data and climate projections; guidance in undertaking risk assessment; and funding and support for Regional Climate Change Partnerships to build capacity at that level.
34. The NAO briefing set out the significant resource that Defra has committed to driving forward the ACC Programme. At the time of writing, the Defra ACC Programme team has 34.5 members of staff. For 2009-2010, the Programme budget allocation remains at just under £2 million, and the research budget just under £7 million. As above, this includes provision for offering support to other Departments as they work to develop their high-level Adaptation Plans, and we anticipate that a team will remain in place to guide those organisations asked to report on their preparations for responding to climate change under the adaptation Reporting Power. In particular, key investment by the Government and the ACC Programme includes:
· approximately £11 million in developing the June 2009 'UK Climate Projections 2009';
· around £900,000 a year to UKCIP to support its work in providing training, climate change data and specialist expertise across a range of sectors;
· approximately £1.5 million to support the development of the CCRA during 2010-11;
· £200,000 to support the first year of work on an 'Infrastructure and Adaptation' project, which will continue into 2010;
· in 2008, Defra committed to supporting the 9 independent Regional Climate Change Partnerships until 2011. £450,000 was made available in 2008-09, with a further £405,000 available each year in 2009-10 and 2010-11; and,
· committing an additional £50,000 towards rolling out a series of 'Projections in Practice' (PiP) events at national and regional level aimed at maximising engagement with the latest set of climate change projections.
35. The Local and Regional Adaptation Partnership Board (LRAP) has been set up to help local and regional bodies adapt. It aims to facilitate action on climate change adaptation at a local and regional level by highlighting best practice, enhancing skills, providing toolkits and encouraging joint working between local and regional agencies. The purpose of the LRAP Board is not to dictate what local and regional bodies should be doing in response to the Climate Change adaptation challenge, but to collate and share best practice around the country. LRAP uses its budget to fund research and events in partnership with other organisations. As above, Defra also funds the 9 Regional Climate Change Partnerships to deliver adaptation projects and to raise awareness, build capacity and stimulate action in the regions.
36. Following the launch of UKCP09, we are rolling out a comprehensive series of events to raise awareness of the projections and show how to use them to support adaptation planning. These 'Projections in Practice' events are targeting a range of different regions, sectors, organisations, and themes. The programme includes presentations, national events, regional workshops, IT training sessions, and e-learning modules. UKCIP is helping to deliver the programme and to support a greater understanding of how the latest projections can inform enhanced climate change risk assessments and a clearer focus on the need for long-term adaptation of assets and business. Further information, advice and support are available from UKCIP, through its website and a range of free training materials and e-learning modules.
How effective is the communication within and between departments; and between government, local government, business and the general public on adaptation?
The ACC Programme operates an effective Board structure, together with targeted stakeholder and working groups at all levels, through which collaborative work on adaptation is driven forward. The UKCP Projections launch in June 2009 provided an effective springboard for communications with business sectors, regional and local government, through an ongoing series of Projections in Practice events, as well as generating over 300 media articles on the launch alone.
37. The ACC Programme is bringing together and driving forward effective co-ordination across central Government. The Programme offers regular information updates for all Departments and provides more formal 'governance' through structures such as the Domestic Adaptation Programme Board (the NAO briefing on climate change adaptation summarised the main governance arrangements put in place to manage the ACC Programme). The ACC Programme is also developing a small team of 'relationship managers' who can continue to build knowledge and understanding of activity in different Departments, offer support and encourage sharing of best practice, and make sure that common interests and interdependencies are being discussed and explored. A specific objective of this work is to support active and improved sharing of learning and best practice between Departments.
38. The programme has also prioritised strong communication and engagement with local government, to promote greater awareness within that sector and to capitalise on their extensive networks and contacts to reach a wider public audience. Three sets of workshops with local government have been used to develop a shared understanding and key messages. As a result of this work, new guidance has been produced by local authorities on the likely impact of climate change within local communities.
39. There will also be a strong regional element to the development of the CCRA. Individual regions will have a dedicated "chapter" in the final output. The Regional Development Agencies and Government Offices have representation on the CCRA steering group and are co-funding the research. We will need to draw heavily on existing networks, such as LRAP, to understand stakeholders and feed in existing analysis that helps constitute the regional evidence base.
40. The Climate Change Adaptation Partnership Board is an important Stakeholder group, which provides informal advice to Government on the development of the ACC Programme and on developing approaches to wider stakeholder engagement. The Group also has a role in communicating information about adaptation to wider networks and it provides a basis for organisations to work together on adaptation.
41. As part of the ACC Programme, a new 'Business, Skills and Technology' project is now being developed to support the private sector in addressing the impacts of climate change on business and encourage appropriate risk management strategies that incorporate climate change impacts. This can help the private sector to plan for a changing climate adequately and to maintain its competitive position in the global economy. It will also support business by making sure it has access to the evidence and research it needs to make effective adaptation risk assessments, and is able to identify key business opportunities and technological solutions in response to a changing climate. UKCIP also works closely with businesses and other organisations to help them assess the effects of climate change, so they can prepare for its impact. UKCIP encourages organisations to use its tools and information to help them consider their climate risks and to plan to adapt.
42. The Climate Change Act,
UKCP09 and the focus on the UN Climate Change Conference in
Should work on adaptation be embedded into existing sustainable development frameworks and, if so, how this might be achieved?
43. Adapting to climate change should involve making decisions that are sustainable, made at the right time, which maximise the benefits and minimise the costs that a changing climate presents. Sustainable adaptation aims to ensure that adaptation measures do not contribute to the causes or consequences of climate change, and that action in one place or sector does not unreasonably limit the ability of another one to successfully adapt. For our natural environment, this means avoiding damage and, wherever possible, seeking to support its adaptation. Sustainable adaptation is an essential partner to sustainable development. It will ensure that we are best placed both to minimise the threats posed by the impacts of climate change and to capitalise on potential opportunities presented by it.
44. In practice, the Government want to ensure that approaches to adaptation are integrated into existing work on sustainable development. All central Departments and their executive agencies are already required to produce Sustainable Development Action Plans (SDAPs) and to update them on a regular basis. These Plans are scrutinised by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), and Departments report on progress against their own SDAP targets in their annual reports and other key publications.
45. The ACC Programme will continue to work with the SDC to embed climate change adaptation within this process. SDAPs should set out a Department's overall approach to climate change adaption and place it in the context of sustainable development. Annual updates to SDAPs should include any new or emerging departmental priorities, and explain how these are linked to the Department's overall vision for sustainable development. This should include those priorities emerging from the process of developing Adaptation Plans. Each Department's SDAP will then be complemented with a more detailed adaption plan, listing how these actions will be delivered. The SDC may also wish to play an explicit role in scrutinising Departmental Adaptation Plans.
46. It will also be important to ensure clear links with climate change mitigation work, so that this is coherent and both adaptation and mitigation are being addressed with the wider sustainable development agenda (i.e. social, economic, and environmental well-being) in mind.
Annex A
Examples of Departmental Adaptation Actions
Introduction
1. In its briefing for the EAC on climate change adaptation, the NAO considered the wide range of risks that Departments identified to their objectives arising from the impacts of climate change. These risks were judged to fall within five broad sectoral groups:
· Business and the economy - risks to economic performance of the
· Infrastructure - risks to critical national infrastructure (including energy, water supplies and transport) and other large-scale infrastructure such as sports venues;
· Agriculture, food security and the natural environment - risks to biodiversity, agricultural services, the natural environment and the provision of reliable and affordable food supplies;
· Homes and buildings (including Government Estate) - risks to public and private buildings; and,
· Public health - risks to health and the provision of health services.
2. The NAO additionally noted that flooding and coastal erosion give rise to a number of risks that cut across these groups.
3. The rest of this annex provides examples of some of the latest Government activity, since the NAO evaluation in spring 2009, in these key areas.
Business and the economy
4. BIS is currently developing a strategy for raising awareness and building capacity within the business community to adapt to a changing climate. Through the Regional Development Agencies, and the Regional Climate Change Partnerships, a significant amount of business engagement has happened around the country. Guidance on how the RDAs can embed adaptation into the Single Integrated Regional Strategies is currently being developed. The RCCPs have produced a variety of research and tested pilot projects for engaging the business community. For example, the North-West published a report earlier this year- 'Impacts and Responses for Key Business Sectors'-outlining which sectors are most at risk and in which specific cities and areas of the region. This highlights the importance of certain sectors, such as manufacturing, to the region and the need to ensure it is climate resilient. London Regional Climate Change Partnership has various working groups focused specifically on business engagement. For example, the Finance Group focuses on solutions around financing mechanisms for adaptation and has representation from insurance, banking, fund management, and legal sectors.
5. The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) will publish research into the long-term effects of climate change on its sectors by the end of 2009, which will assess and prioritise key climate risks. The work will look at assets and resources available within the cultural, tourism and creative sectors to enable other stakeholders and organisations to become more resilient to climate change. It will consider the financial resilience of businesses within DCMS sectors to climate change (such as sporting and visitor attractions) and how they can boost their ability to respond in cost efficient ways. The research brings together a range of evidence, including published literature, information on past extreme weather events, geographical information systems, climate change projections, and stakeholder input.
Infrastructure
6. The Highways Agency (HA) will soon publish its Adaptation Strategy, which includes methods for examining and prioritising risks from climate change, and identifying management options. Although written for the HA this can be used as good practice to stimulate wider application of adaptation. The HA has joined the European research collaboration ERA-NET Road to deliver a portfolio of climate change projects-Road Owners Getting to Grips with Climate Change. DfT and the HA are supporting and part funding road and rail projects under the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's FUTURENET project to identify risks to develop Future Resilient Transport Networks.
7. In
July, DfT published Local Transport Plan
Guidance to support local transport authorities develop and deliver
statutory Local Transport Plans. The
guidance encourages the inclusion of measures to improve the resilience of
local transport to the impacts of climate change. The Guidance will promote
further action on adaptation of transport infrastructure at a local level,
where some real progress is already in evidence: for example, in
8. DfT has begun utilising research from a recently published study by Rail Research UK on the impact of temperature change on the railways. DfT support and funding also helped the Technical Strategy Advisory Group for the UK Railway conclude its technology roadmap which includes adaption. With support and funding from DfT, RSSB[1] published their Foresight Studies in Sustainable Development which identifies long-term sustainable planning options and tools for the rail industry.
9. The
10. Guidance in the forthcoming DECC-led consultation on the Nuclear National Policy Statement will include the need to consider good design in applications for nuclear power station development; for instance, by assessing how the application has taken account of climate change and the need for adaptation. In particular, developers should set out how the application for nuclear power station development would be resilient to coastal erosion and increased risk from storm surge; the effects of higher temperatures, including higher temperatures of cooling water; and the increased risk of drought and a lack of available cooling water. Climate change resilience measures should form part of the relevant impact assessment in an application for development. For example, climate change impacts on cooling water from higher temperatures, or the effect of drought on direct cooling measures, would be covered in the impact assessment on water quality and resources.
11. Patterns
of demand for energy could change as temperatures increase (as set out in the
UK Climate Projections 2009) with an increased requirement for energy in the
summer for cooling homes and workplaces-especially through the use of air
conditioning. Electrical air conditioning now accounts for 4% of final
electricity consumption and is predicted to rise further with higher global
temperatures. Cooling demand in the service sector alone could account for 6%
of final electricity consumption by 2020. In the commercial sector, cooling
consumes more energy than heating, and climate change is likely to lead to even
more demand for cooling both in homes and workplaces. DECC is working with National
Grid on their long-term planning on the increased need for cooling in the
12. The resilience of the energy sector and its infrastructure to the changing climate will be of increasing importance in future. Increased severity of rainfall may increase the incidence of flooding and lead to the loss of a major electricity substation or gas/oil facility. Considerable work has been done with the energy sector to identify risks and solutions. The sector has used existing UK Climate Projections for assessing future requirements. Sustained very high temperatures, especially if coupled with very dry conditions, would cause electricity equipment to be less effective, leading to higher generation constraint costs and possibly equipment failure. DECC is working with the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee, a joint Government and industry emergency planning body, to improve understanding of these risks and then manage their implications. The electricity industry has developed a methodology for identifying those substation sites that have a large impact on customer supplies and are at risk of flooding. This methodology will now be used to determine what flood defences are appropriate and create a plan for building them.
Agriculture, food security and the natural environment
13. The The challenges will be to ensure the sustainability of the
14. Following last year's
announcement by the Secretary of State, NERC and the Devolved Administrations
have now joined Defra in undertaking a UK-wide National Ecosystem Assessment.
It will assess how the terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems across the
whole of the
Homes and buildings
15. CLG has launched a consultation (issued July 2009) on proposed new Development and Coastal Change policy. This aims to support Defra's draft Coastal Change Policy (see Flooding and Coastal Erosion section) by providing the planning tools that will be needed to help coastal communities adapt. The policy promotes a strategic risk-based approach to managing future physical changes to the coastline, so that long-term adaptation of communities can be planned whilst allowing necessary development that is appropriate and safe. The consultation on CLG's proposed new planning policy closes on 12 October 2009. CLG aims to publish the final policy in early 2010.
16. The Government's spatial planning policies on development and flood risk as set out in Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) provide a risk-based approach to managing future changes in flood risk to and from new development due to climate change. CLG has carried out an initial review of how well PPS25 is being implemented by local planning authorities and found that good progress is being made overall. CLG is encouraging planning authorities to make further progress in applying the PPS25 approach, and is working closely with Defra in taking forward wider work on improved management of flood risk in the context of the draft Flood and Water Management Bill.
17. HM Prison Service (HMPS) has held events jointly with Strategic Alliance construction partners to present the effects of climate change and raise the challenges posed with them. They have now begun to respond on specific new projects. Design requirements for new prisons require that they are capable of withstanding not only 1:100 year catastrophic events, but also the annual extremes predicted as a result of climate change. Particular solutions being proposed are to raise the foundations, to raise the entrance level into secure areas, provide gravity and pumped solutions to take away flood water, increase attenuation where possible by passive means such as swales and tanks, more effective natural ventilation, solar shading, increasing building mass, heat pumps, and building orientation. Wider implications of climate change for new build projects are also being factored into the choice of site and the design; for instance, 24/7 access to the prison, and the feasibility of evacuating an entire prison population if the area surrounding a prison is flooded and the prison is entirely cut off.
18. HMPS are revising the sustainability Core Requirements for new construction projects to incorporate the potential impacts of the new climate change projections. Technical assessors on building projects are being asked specifically to ensure that the issues surrounding climate change are fully addressed by the constructor at the design stage. Building management is moving to more low energy fittings which generate less heat and should to a limited extent offset the impact of higher mean temperatures.
19. The Ministry of Defence
(MOD) is developing a Climate Impacts
Risk Assessment Method (CIRAM) that will help MOD sites to identify and
evaluate the significance of the risks from a changing climate or extreme
weather events to the resilience of their built estate and operational
capacity. The risk method encourages a wide review of potential risks including
critical assets, health and safety, local community and off site and business
continuity issues. CIRAM will enable sites to incorporate the risks into future
site planning and maintenance. Location and design of new buildings or major
refurbishments can also be amended to incorporate climate risks into siting and
design features. As part of the methodology the UKCP09 scenarios are explored
on a site by site basis to aid understanding of the significance of the risks.
The method has recently been trialled at the headquarters for equipment
procurement in
Public health
20. The potential impacts of climate change on human health are multiple and diverse (and not all negative). Hotter drier summers, milder wetter winters, and more frequent extreme weather events such as flooding and heatwaves, as described in UKCP09, could mean a decrease in cold-related winter deaths and an increase in heat-related summer deaths; an increase in cases of food poisoning and vector-borne diseases; and increased cases of sunburn and skin cancer as people spend more time outdoors.
21. One of our priorities is to ensure that national and local adaptation plans exist for the expected health impacts from climate change, such as the National Heatwave Plan, and to ensure that plans are fully implemented with regular evaluation. The Heatwave plan was triggered at the end of June 2009, including media messages and specific actions for health professionals to help protect vulnerable people from the effects of heat. The Health Protection Agency is conducting an evaluation of excess deaths and hospital admissions that will be reviewed in the New Year to inform and improve next year's heatwave plan.
22. A Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) under the Environment and sustainability section entitled HTM 07-07 "Sustainable health and social care buildings" was made available in the early part of 2009. This document discusses the implications of sustainable development on health and climate change impacts. It helps to define the roles and responsibilities of the NHS and gives detailed advice on the issues to be considered.
Flooding and coastal erosion
23. The latest
24. Recent work has focused on protecting households and communities from
flood risk. In June, the
first round of new grants to help people protect their homes against flooding
was announced. Local authorities were
able to bid for a share of £5 million property-level grant scheme. They will be given flexibility in how they
implement their schemes and the initial surveys they commission will ensure
they know exactly how best to allocate the funding available. A second round is planned for the autumn. In
August, Defra further announced that local communities across
25. Defra is also working to improve flood risk management capacity. Over the summer contracts totalling £1 million were issued and work began on 3 projects which seek to reduce the risk of flooding through exploring land management techniques which work with natural processes and also seek to achieve multiple objectives like carbon sequestration. The Department is also spending £1 million on making training, data and other tools available to help all local authorities manage flood risk. In June, Hilary Benn announced additional investment in improving local capacity, funding up to 27 apprenticeship places on a foundation degree starting this autumn, and Defra published a new policy statement on the appraisal of flood and coastal erosion risk management, which contains guidance for operating authorities and others involved in ensuring the right decisions are made when considering projects, and value for money is achieved.
26. In the same month, the Environment Agency updated its publicly available on-line flood risk maps; published Investing for the future-a long-term investment strategy, looking at funding needs and benefits over the next 25 years; published Flooding in England: A National Assessment of Flood Risk; and also introduced a new External Contributions Policy. This policy aims to encourage businesses and communities routinely to make financial contributions towards the costs of flood risk projects that will benefit them, in order to make public investment go further and achieve more overall.
27. Defra also announced in June 2009 an £11 million pathfinder programme to enable coastal local authorities to test drive innovative approaches to coastal change adaptation. The announcement of the pathfinder programme coincided with the launch of a consultation on new Coastal Change Policy to examine what managing coastal change could look like for individuals, businesses, local infrastructure and the historic and natural environment. The consultation package sets out ideas on approaches and engagement guidance for supporting local communities at risk from coastal change in planning for and managing change. It also includes proposals for a new coastal erosion assistance package to help those who lose a property as a result of coastal erosion with demolition and moving costs.
28. The EA is also continuing to expand its Floodline Warnings Direct service, which provides flood warnings direct to householders and business by telephone, mobile, email, SMS text message, fax or pager. Most recently, work has focused on engagement with telecommunications companies to develop a system that automatically registers ex-directory landlines in targeted areas at high risk from river and coastal flooding. We expect to be able to warn these people by the end of December 2009.
October 2009 [1] RSSB is a not-for-profit company, owned by major industry stakeholders, that works on strategic safety and standards in the railway industry. |