Memorandum submitted by South West Climate
Change Impacts Partnership (SWCCIP)
The South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership
(SWCCIP) is the South West Region's only partnership focused on
the impacts of climate change and what we need to do to adapt.
SWCCIP's activity is focused across seven priority sectors: Agriculture
& Forestry, Biodiversity, Business & Utilities, Housing
& Construction, Local Government, Tourism, and Transport.
The Partnership's mission is: To help the South West
Region of England to adapt sustainably to the impacts of climate
change by:
— communicating and responding to the science
of climate change;
— advising on the social, environmental
and economic impacts of climate change;
— delivering and promoting sustainable
adaptation responses; and
— engaging with stakeholders in the South
West, and other regions, to deliver on climate change adaptation.
SWCCIP is funded by the Ecclesiastical Insurance
Group, the Environment Agency, Defra and South West Water. SWCCIP's
Tourism Sector Group also receives direct funding support from
South West Tourism.
This is SWCCIP's response to questions it was
posed to inform the Environment Audit Committee's Inquiry. Those
comments in italics are additional supporting comments provided
by Climate East.
1. WHAT IS
WORKING WELL
ON THE
GOVERNMENT'S
ADAPTATION PROGRAMME,
WITH THE
RESOURCES GIVEN?
From a SWCCIP perspective the following parts
of the Government's Adaptation Programme are working well:
— The provision of Defra funding to the
English Regional Climate Change Partnerships (RCCPs). The security
of funding between 2009-2011has enabled SWCCIP to recruit a full
time SWCCIP Project Officer (to support the Manager), which has
significantly increased SWCCIP's capacity to deliver.
— The ongoing resource to support UKCIP, who
provide each of the RCCPs with a great deal of technical support,
information and advice.
— Defra (and UKCIP's) delivery of the regional
Projections in Practice (PiP) events. These were very positively
received in all the regions; in the South West alone 330 delegates
attended 9 sessions organised by SWCCIP and facilitate by UKCIP.
The UKCP09 tools are very detailed, but invaluable in helping
organisations understand the likely impacts of climate change
on our region and the importance of the need for adaptation. So
training events like PiP are needed to help continue to get the
key messages out to a wider audience regionally and locally. (Climate
East also found the PiP weeks valuable. They find the tools very
powerful in telling the messages about climate change and believe
that the events were valuable to allow them to spread the word.)
— The duty for local authorities to report
on adaptation through National Indicator 188 (NI188): planning
to adapt to climate change has been a key driver for adaptation
activity at a local authority level. Although some local authorities
in the South West were already taking adaptation action, since
the introduction of NI188 more local authorities in the region
have started to take action to embed adaptation into their work.
As a result 9 of the 16 South West's upper tier local authorities
designated NI188 and committed to reaching NI188 Level 3 by 2011.
2. WHAT ARE
THE REMAINING
BARRIERS TO
ADAPTATION, AND
WHAT WOULD
HELP TACKLE
THESE BARRIERS?
— While SWCCIP welcome the additional funding
recently provided by Defra for the RCCPs, it is important to note
that funding from various sources such as the Regional Development
Agency, Government Office and local authorities has either been
cut or is insecure across many of the RCCPs, including SWCCIP.
All the RCCPs have a valuable role to play in raising awareness
of the impacts of climate change and more importantly developing
and delivering regional adaptation action. It is important that
funding for all the Regional Climate Change Partnerships is secured
for a longer period of time, ensuring the future of these partnerships,
and enabling them to build capacity at a regional and sub-regional
level.
From SWCCIP's work with our priority sector
groups a couple of other barriers to adaptation present themselves:
— Firstly, through work with our with businesses
and our Tourism Sector Group, many businesses (particularly SMEs)
believe that the impacts of climate change will not affect them—that
the impacts are not immediate or already happening. A SWCCIP Tourism
Sector Group survey of tourism businesses in the South West (2008)
highlighted that out of c.270 respondents 43% didn't think that
climate change is affecting or is likely to affect their tourism
business. The new UKCP09 projections will help to highlight more
clearly the likelihood of different impacts over different periods
of time. But we should also communicate how events like the 2007
Gloucestershire floods (while not directly attributable to climate
change) highlight our current vulnerability to extreme weather
events, events that we are already starting to experience. SWCCIP
believe that there is still much work to be done to get across
that climate change is already happening and what it means to
businesses and organisations. But these messages must focus on
both the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change,
to show that action taken now can help improve the resilience
of businesses and organisations. To help this process it is key
that Defra communicates to national and regional organisations,
trade bodies/associations etc the importance of adaptation and
the need to take action.
— Secondly, while there are organisations,
bodies, businesses who understand that climate change is an issue,
they may not have the knowledge, skills or resource to know what
action to take. Equally they may not know what adaptation "looks
like". Therefore more work is needed to promote examples
of adaptation action at all scales (nationally, regionally and
locally) to ensure that adaptation actions can be considered,
planned for and undertaken now.
— SWCCIP's Tourism Sector Group recently
contacted the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to see whether
incentives could be offered to those businesses who proactively
take adaptation actions eg through reduced insurance premiums.
This currently doesn't appear to take place. However, we would
be keen to see the insurance industry (and possible other bodies
that have influence over businesses ie banks) offer more tangible
incentives/benefits for those actively taking adaptation actions.
We believe this not only benefits those who are already taking
adaptation action, but also helps to incentivise more businesses
and organisations to consider adaptation more fully in their business
planning/activities.
— While the SWCCIP PiP week was a useful
and welcome introduction to UKCP09 for a wide range of regional
partners, there is still a need for ongoing support on the use
and how to communicate the messages of UKCP09. The tools are very
useful in enabling us to show the range of impacts and likelihood
of impacts at a variety of scales, but they remain quite complex.
While SWCCIP are working with UKCIP to produce some headline messages
from UKCP09 for our region, SWCCIP alone doesn't have the resource
to help all organisations in the region to know how to use and
communicate the vast range of information contained in the projections.
Therefore further work is needed to help communicate UKCP09 to
a range audiences at a range of scales; nationally, regionally
and locally. (Climate East also highlighted that barriers exist
around the infiltration of UKCP09 material into existing projects
and programmes. More resource would allow them to approach more
people. Adaptation is an issue that each individual and organisation
must take responsibility for depending on their circumstances
but some common guidance on principles based on UKCP09 would be
beneficial.)
3. HOW HAVE
THE REGIONAL
CLIMATE CHANGE
PARTNERSHIPS RAISED
AWARENESS OR
ENGAGED WITH
THE PRIVATE
SECTOR ON
ADAPTATION? FROM
YOUR WORK,
HOW DO
THE PRIVATE
SECTOR SEE
THEIR ENGAGEMENT
ON ADAPTATION
AT THE
LOCAL, REGIONAL,
NATIONAL LEVELS?
— SWCCIP has previously tried to engage
with businesses directly on climate change adaptation. For example,
we worked with Arup to hold nine workshops on climate change adaptation
in March 2009 for those sectors in the region most at risk from
the impacts of climate change: Agriculture, Food & Drink,
Construction, and Tourism. While the workshops were helpful to
those who attended, actual levels of attendance were much lower
than anticipated. SWCCIP has therefore decided to try and engage
more effectively with businesses by working in partnership with
those organisations who already provide support to businesses.—
SWCCIP's Business & Utilities Sector Group was established
in February 2009. The aim of the group is: "To engage South
West businesses, via existing business support networks, in addressing
their vulnerability to the effects of climate change and maximising
the opportunities that arise". This group is chaired by Business
Link SW and has membership from a range of organisations and businesses
support organisations including Global Action Plan, South West
Water, Michelmores LLP to Business in the Community, Federation
for Small Business and SW Regional Development Agency.
— Although only recently established the
Business & Utilities Sector Group are currently exploring
working with a student at a local university to complete a study
to help gather a baseline understanding of current levels of vulnerability
to the impacts of climate change amongst businesses in the South
West. By focusing on the types of businesses (in terms of size,
sector and location type) which are particularly vulnerable (or
resilient) and the nature of that vulnerability, we hope to help
the sector group and its members to know where and how to prioritise
its resources on working with businesses on climate change adaptation.
— In addition, work with SWCCIP's Tourism
Sector Group has led to the development of a DVD `Changing Climate:
Changing Business' which features 11 tourism business case studies,
and aims to help raise business awareness of the need to adapt
and to demonstrate the practical actions that can be taken. This
is available to view via: http://www.swtourism.org.uk/our-strategic-work/sustainability-work/adapting-to-a-changing-climate/
— Our experience suggests that regional
private sector engagement on climate change adaptation is limited.
In part because it is not seen as a priority; in the current economic
climate there are too many other competing pressures for time
and resources. Additionally, in the South West we have a very
high proportion of small and medium sized enterprises many of
whom do not see climate change (adaptation) as a current risk/an
issue relevant to them. To address this, SWCCIP is starting to
work through Climate UK[61]
to develop a glossary of terms with which to engage businesses
on climate change adaptation by linking it to existing business
issues and language like business continuity, risk management
etc.
— (Climate East are in the infancy of
their adaptation approach to business, although they have support
from Business Link and others. They suggest that more UKCP09 training
events for specific groups would be helpful. They are using DEFRA
funding to take forward a business Local Climate Impacts Profile
(LCLIP) study in the region. They experience good levels of engagement
across different SME sectors and a good interest levels from engaged
parties.)
4. ARE THERE
EXAMPLES OF
GOOD OR
SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION
ACTIONS. IN
PARTICULAR ARE
THERE EXAMPLES
WHERE WE
CAN DEMONSTRATE
THE LESSONS
LEARNT OR
KEY SUCCESSES
TO DATE
FROM PARTICULAR
ACTION?
— SWCCIP has a range of case studies highlighting
where adaptation action has occurred across a range of sectors.
These are detailed on our website: http://www.oursouthwest.com/climate/casestudies.htm
This is a growing resource, as there is an increasing demand for
case studies highlighting action on adaptation. However, we recognise
that many of these are small-scale examples of adaptation, so
it is more difficult to demonstrate the key successes or lessons
learnt.— In June 2009 a local authority case study guide
Adapting to Climate Change: local areas' action was produced
by CAG for the LRAP Board. SWCCIP was on the steering group for
project, which collated 27 national case studies, including three
from the South West, highlighting what actions local authorities
have taken in relation to climate change adaptation. This guide
seeks to identify those processes and actions that have worked
and could be replicable by other local authorities. Accessbile
via: http://www.cagconsultants.net/resources/climate-change-case-study/Adapting_to_
Climate_Change_Local_Areas_Action_June09.pdf
— Finally SWCCIP has recently been successful
in bids to the South West Regional Improvement and Efficiency
Programme (SWRIEP) to fund two projects:
— The first is the delivery of a regionally
coordinated Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP) project involving
11 South West local authorities over a 3 month period. The aim
of this project is to help those local authorities gain a better
understanding of the consequences of recent past weather events
and feed in to their work on NI188; as well as identify and common
issues and impacts across the region.
— The second project has resulted in the
recent appointment of a South West NI188 co-ordinator. The purpose
of this post is to be able to provide local authorities with some
dedicated one-to-one support to help them progress against NI188.
— Although both these projects are just
starting, they will result in the development of cases studies
from which we can start to clearly identify and demonstrate the
lessons learnt/key successes from particular action taken. The
LCLIP project is expected to be completed in Spring 2010 and NI188
coordinator will be in post until March 2011.
22 November 2009
61 Climate UK is a group representing the climate change
partnerships in the nine Regions of England and in Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland, along with the Environment Agency and UKCIP.
The group exists to help move the UK towards effective regional-scale
adaptation to climate risks by sharing information and good practice,
collaborating on issues of common interest and representing the
partnerships to outside bodies.) Back
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