Thursday 21st October
Use the links below to book your free tickets to these online discussions:
Will vegans really save the planet?
1pm – 2pm
Cut your food’s carbon footprint
3pm – 4pm
5pm – 6pm
What will power my home in 2045?
7pm – 8pm
Explore the full programme:
A final proposed Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for Edinburgh has been published for approval ahead of its planned introduction next Spring.
Proposals for a city centre LEZ applying to all motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds, and with a two-year grace period, were first reported to Transport and Environment Committee in June. These have been reviewed following a major, 12-week consultation involving both statutory and non-statutory consultees.
Participants were asked for their views on key elements of the LEZ, such as the boundary, grace period and whether local exemptions should be allowed. More than 5000 responses were received, with around 100 on behalf of organisations. After careful analysis of feedback, it has been recommended to proceed with the city centre zone approved for consultation in June.
While there was support for the LEZ in principle, some issues were raised by respondents, amongst which are the potential for the restrictions to displace traffic around the zone’s boundary and the two-year grace period being too short.
The report published yesterday, to be considered by Transport and Environment Committee on Tuesday 26 October, responds to the main areas of concern, providing reassurance around the effectiveness of the scheme, support for people to adjust and mitigating measures, in particular a Network Management Strategy. This is being developed to reduce any traffic and air quality impacts.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The publication of the final LEZ for approval is the culmination of a power of work analysing monitoring data, assessing consultation feedback and scenario-modelling, so it’s fantastic to have reached this point at last.
“Being able to breathe clean air is a basic right that everyone in the city deserves and this scheme, along with the many other projects to encourage sustainable transport, is key to achieving this. We urgently need to address air pollution and the damage it’s doing to our health.
“I’m confident that the LEZ being put forward for approval will have a really positive effect, while taking into account any impact on local businesses, residents and traffic patterns.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “This report outlines the many measures that will be taken as we continue to develop the LEZ ahead of its introduction next spring to ensure it works for everyone, while doing the essential job of limiting air pollution in the city.
“This is central to our plans to deliver a more sustainable, environmentally friendly transport future in Edinburgh.”
Dr Mark Miller, Senior Research Fellow at The University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cardiovascular Science, added: “The research we have carried out with the support of the British Heart Foundation has unequivocally shown that the particles in vehicle exhaust have harmful effects in the heart and circulation.
“These effects would make a person more likely to develop heart disease over time and could even increase the chances of a heart attack or stroke. It is vital that we adopt measures to reduce the levels of these harmful pollutants from our environment.”
An evidence-led approach was taken when developing the LEZ, adhering to the National Low Emission Framework and based on detailed traffic and air quality modelling and data.
The city centre boundary was selected based on various factors, including the expected limited impact of a larger zone and predictions that an alternative city centre zone would have longer lasting negative impacts on air quality at its boundary.
While it is not expected that air pollution will get worse across the city due to diversions around the boundary, and with cleaner vehicles expected to use the surrounding area, the Network Management Strategy aims to mitigate any short-term impacts near the boundary. This is likely to include junction reconfigurations, improvements to signage and optimised signalling.
Other measures to mitigate the impact of the LEZ are the two-year grace period, which is considered sufficient to allow people to prepare, and several support funds currently available for lower income households and small businesses.
Once the LEZ is in place, vehicles must meet a minimum emissions standard to enter the zone freely, and those that don’t will be considered non-compliant and subject to penalties.
Penalty charges are set nationally at £60 for non-compliant vehicles (though halved if paid within 30 days), with the penalty rate roughly doubling for subsequent contraventions to a maximum level depending on the vehicle.
Following the two-year grace period for Edinburgh’s LEZ, enforcement will begin in spring 2024.
Read the full report, Low Emission Zone – Consultation & Development, on the Council website and watch the discussion live via webcast from 10am on Tuesday, 26 October.
You can also find out more about the LEZ on CEC’s dedicated web pages.
It’s looking a lot brighter on Friday so sign up and join us for October Wildlife Watch at Gypsy Brae: Shoreline Discoveries.
We’ll be exploring the unique shoreline and all its treasures, from rock pooling and wildlife ID to seaweed gathering, bird spotting and more … Bring your nets and binoculars for a fun-packed wild shoreline discovery session, and don’t forget to wear your wellies …
Suitable for ages 8+
Free but advance registration is required.
To book your place:
go to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/183463433067 call us on 0131 315 2151 (Mon – Fri, 10am to 4pm) pop by and see us in person.
A landmark Net Zero Strategy setting out how the UK will secure 440,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £90 billion in investment in 2030 on its path to ending its contribution to climate change by 2050 has been unveiled by the UK government yesterday (19 October).
Building on the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan, today’s UK Net Zero Strategy sets out a comprehensive economy-wide plan for how British businesses and consumers will be supported in making the transition to clean energy and green technology – lowering the Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels by investing in sustainable clean energy in the UK, reducing the risk of high and volatile prices in the future, and strengthening our energy security.
The commitments made will unlock up to £90 billion of private investment by 2030, and support 440,000 well-paid jobs in green industries in 2030. This will provide certainty to businesses to support the UK in gaining a competitive edge in the latest low carbon technologies – from heat pumps to electric vehicles – and in developing thriving green industries in our industrial heartlands – from carbon capture to hydrogen, backed by new funding.
As part of the strategy, new investment announced yesterday includes:
The policies and spending brought forward in the Net Zero Strategy mean that since the Ten Point Plan, we have mobilised £26 billion of government capital investment for the green industrial revolution.
More than £5.8 billion of foreign investment in green projects has also been secured since the launch of the Ten Point Plan, along with at least 56,000 jobs in the UK’s clean industries – and another 18 deals have been set out at the Global Investment Summit to support growth in vital sectors such as wind and hydrogen energy, sustainable homes and carbon capture and storage.
Through energy efficiency measures, falling costs of renewables and more, the measures in the strategy also mean people’s energy bills will be lower by 2024 than if no action was taken particularly as gas prices rise.
As the first major economy to commit in law to net zero by 2050 and hosts of the historic UN COP26 climate summit, the UK is leading international efforts and setting the bar for countries around the world to follow.
The UK has hit every carbon budget to date – today’s Net Zero Strategy sets out clear policies and proposals for meeting our fourth and fifth carbon budgets, and keeps us on track for carbon budget 6, our ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), while setting out a vision for a decarbonised economy in 2050.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The UK’s path to ending our contribution to climate change will be paved with well-paid jobs, billions in investment and thriving green industries – powering our green industrial revolution across the country.
“By moving first and taking bold action, we will build a defining competitive edge in electric vehicles, offshore wind, carbon capture technology and more, whilst supporting people and businesses along the way.
“With the major climate summit COP26 just around the corner, our strategy sets the example for other countries to build back greener too as we lead the charge towards global net zero.”
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “There is a global race to develop new green technology, kick-start new industries and attract private investment. The countries that capture the benefits of this global green industrial revolution will enjoy unrivalled growth and prosperity for decades to come – and it’s our job to ensure the UK is fighting fit.
“Today’s plan will not only unlock billions of pounds of investment to boost the UK’s competitive advantage in green technologies, but will create thousands of jobs in new, future-proof industries – clearly demonstrating that going green and economic growth go hand in hand.”
Both the Net Zero and Heat and Building Strategies build on the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan in November 2020 which laid the foundations for a green industrial revolution, kick-starting billions of pounds of investment in new and green industries to help level up the country. To date, the UK has decarbonised faster than any other G7 country.
Published alongside these two strategies is HM Treasury’s Net Zero Review, an analytical report which explores the key issues as the UK decarbonises. It helps to build a picture of where opportunities could arise and the factors to be taken into account when designing decarbonisation policy. While there are costs in reaching net zero, the cost of inaction is much higher.
· INEOS, Europe’s biggest operator of electrolysis needed to produce clean, low carbon hydrogen, has doubled down on more than €2 billion investment in green hydrogen with the launch of a hydrogen campaign.
· The campaign kicked off with the publication of a cornerstone editorial in the Sunday Telegraph on the hydrogen economy written by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS’s founder and Chairman.
· Today sees this followed by a national multi-media campaign that includes substantial billboard and digital advertising as well as a hydrogen innovation bus tour and presence in Glasgow at COP26.
· Sir Jim says: “Hydrogen is the dream fuel. You can heat your home with it. You can drive your car on it. Burn it and all it produces is energy and the only by product is water. We can all live with that. The world has committed to hugely reducing its carbon emissions and hydrogen is unquestionably going to play a large part in accomplishing this goal.”
· INEOS Automotive is also exploring new opportunities in the hydrogen economy, with a hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator of its Grenadier 4×4 now in development
Hydrogen is a fabulous, clean source of energy that can be used as both a raw material for industry and as a power source for transport and the home. It has a massive role to play in lowering the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and INEOS is committed to playing a leading role in the hydrogen revolution.
INEOS through its subsidiary INOVYN is Europe’s largest existing operator of electrolysis, the critical technology which uses renewable energy to produce hydrogen for power generation, transportation & industrial use.
INEOS already produces and uses 400,000 tonnes of low carbon hydrogen every year, the equivalent of replacing up to 2 billion litres of diesel. It knows how to make, transport, store and use hydrogen.
Being a user and producer of hydrogen puts INEOS in a unique position at the heart of green hydrogen development. And the company has announced that it intends to invest more than €2 billion in new production of green hydrogen across Europe.
It is also launching a major hydrogen advocacy campaign to draw attention to both the benefits and applications of hydrogen. The campaign will include significant billboard and digital advertising in London and Glasgow, a UK hydrogen bus tour and the exhibiting of a hydrogen powered car at COP 26.
Sir Jim says: “Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes etc. have many demonstration hydrogen engines happily driving around. We will have a hydrogen INEOS Grenadier on test next year (alongside an electric version). This piece of the jigsaw is the most advanced.”
The company’s INEOS Automotive division is backing hydrogen fuel cells as the clean powertrain solution for future versions of its upcoming 4X4 vehicle. Thanks to a partnership agreement signed in November 2020, the Grenadier hydrogen fuel cell concept will use fuel cell technology from Hyundai Motor Company, with testing to begin by the end of 2022.
In the longer term, hydrogen’s other massive contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases will be in the home heating space where natural gas can be replaced by hydrogen which could cut greenhouses gases by up to a third on its own.
Wherever possible, INEOS will continue to prioritise the production of green hydrogen which is made from water using electrolysis powered by renewable energy, but it is also investing in the production of blue hydrogen when the carbon produced can be safely captured and stored underground.
Sir Jim, also has a message for Government: “The infrastructure, clearly critical, needs government push on legislation and investment. The German government is well advanced with nine billion Euros committed and over 200 filling stations operational.
“The UK government has yet to get out of the blocks but hopefully soon will. The UK has only a handful of hydrogen pumps today.”
In just two weeks leaders from almost every country on earth will gather in Glasgow for COP26 to negotiate how the world can come together to tackle the threat of climate change.
Alongside, the COP26 Green Zone will shine a light on the amazing and diverse world of climate action from 1st November.
From all over the globe, youth activists, Indigenous Peoples, small and large businesses and grass roots communities will be bringing COP26 to life with cultural performances, exhibitions, talks, film screenings and technical demonstrations.
Over 200 events will take place in the Green Zone over the 12 days of the summit. Hosted in the iconic Glasgow Science Centre, it will welcome visitors from 9am – 6pm each day.
Tickets are available free of charge, and most of the events will also be streamed live on the COP26 YouTube channel where people can access content for free and from anywhere in the UK or around the world.
https://greenzonetickets.ukcop26.org/home
The inaugural Community Rail Week, 18-24 October, is involving hundreds of community rail partnerships and volunteer groups, including many in Scotland, running activities to promote their local railways, and giving communities and young people a voice on green transport.
Organised by Community Rail Network and sponsored by Rail Delivery Group, the Week is focusing on young people’s views, voices and futures, as a new survey is released exploring travel habits and attitudes to green travel among 1,000 16–24-year-olds: 1
In Scotland, the region’s community rail partnerships and groups will be taking part in a range of activities to raise awareness of the difference that people can make by choosing to travel sustainably and encouraging people to make their own pledge to ‘Go Green by Train’.
They will also hold a series of events and activities including:
With greener transport recognised as a fundamental part of the solution to the climate emergency, Community Rail Week and the ‘Go Green by Train’ campaign looks to drive change at community level through the efforts of 74 community rail partnerships and 1,000 station friends groups across Britain – including 9 partnerships and over 260 groups in Scotland – working to help people get out of their cars and onto trains and other sustainable modes.
Transport has a huge role to play if the UK is to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% of 1990 levels, or ‘net zero’, by 2050.
Figures show that:
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “As we approach the international climate talks in Glasgow, the community rail movement across Scotland is coming together to highlight the great importance of green travel at a local and global level.
“Transport is now the biggest contributor of UK greenhouse emissions, so we face a pressing challenge to decarbonise the way we get around, for the sake of future generations – plus Scotland’s communities can benefit now from reduced traffic and pollution. Rail, combined with buses, walking, cycling, and shared mobility, provides a huge part of the solution: shifting as many journeys as we can onto these modes, and reducing private car use, can help us forge a more sustainable, healthy, inclusive future.
“We’re excited to launch our first Community Rail Week with events and activities in communities across Britain, raising awareness and exploring how we can enable and empower more people to feel confident and able to go green by train.”
Andy Bagnall, director general at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Trains are inherently green so when people go by rail it’s more than a journey – it’s literally helping to save the planet!
“In future, we want trains to be the backbone of a decarbonised transport network so, as well as supporting initiatives like Community Rail Week, we want to work with government to reform ticketing and fares – if it’s easier for people to find and buy a good value ticket, more people will use rail as a green alternative to other ways of travelling.”
Edinburgh has officially launched its ambitious target to become a Million Tree City by 2030 as part of its commitment to be net zero by the end of the decade.
Lord Provost Frank Ross was joined by representatives of the Edinburgh Million Tree Forum on Wednesday to plant a gingko tree in the grounds of Lauriston Castle as they pledged their commitment to making sure Edinburgh will be home to one million trees by the end of this decade. Edinburgh will join counterparts all over the world in becoming a Million Tree City.
The Edinburgh Million Tree Forum is made up of representatives from relevant Council services, the Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust, the Woodland Trust, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Trees of Edinburgh, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the Edinburgh Living Landscape Initiative who are all working together on an updated vision for trees in Edinburgh and find ways of planting more trees, more quickly.
Following the planting of the gingko tree, the group were then taken on a tour of the grounds by volunteers from the Friends of Lauriston Castle where two more trees were planted.
Edinburgh already outstrips other Scottish cities by having more trees per head of population – there are currently more than 730,000 urban trees, compared to around 519,000 residents.
The move to increase the number of trees in the city will help Edinburgh lessen the impacts of climate change by providing cooling in heatwaves, surface water management for heavy rainfall as well as some carbon storage and a home for wildlife.
The city council is working with Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust and Woodland Trust to deliver this ambitious target for the city.
Woodland Trust has contributed a grant of £298,055 from its Emergency Tree Fund to support project delivery. This money will support project management and kick-start tree planting, fundraising, public engagement and volunteer activity between 2021 and 2023.
Before planting the tree, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “We may have more trees in our city than people but to get to our city’s 2030 net zero target, we must plant more.
“Climate change will impact on all of us, and we all need to play our part to mitigate the effects. A key aspect of the proposed Climate Strategy is for us all to build upon our previous efforts, and Edinburgh Million Tree City Project, offers us all the opportunity to do just this.
“This is not a project for the Council, it is a project for our city, our communities, and for us as citizens, with a shared ambition for Edinburgh to have at least one million trees by 2030.
“While 75% of our trees are privately managed, we have a shared responsibility to manage our trees well, and to act when they get damaged or require treatment or replacement. I’m delighted to plant this gingko today and I am keen that this young tree symbolises, like a barometer, the growth of the project.
“Each inch demonstrates how our stakeholders and communities are coming together to plant more trees, delivering the millionth tree or more.”
Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson said: “We’re very proud that Edinburgh is already one of the UK’s greenest cities, with more trees than people, more green space and more green flag parks than any other place in Scotland for people to enjoy. But we want to do even better, especially as we strive towards our hugely ambitious target of making the city net zero by 2030.
“It’s impossible to overstate the benefits trees bring to the urban landscape. They help clean our air, reduce the risk of flooding, keep us cool in the summer and warmer in winter and give the wildlife in our city a home, as well as making neighbourhoods look and feel tranquil and appealing. They are essential to the wellbeing of our citizens.
“We estimate that Edinburgh needs around 250,000 more trees to be planted in the next 10 years on a both public and private land and I’m excited that our project has now officially launched and look forward to working with partners and citizens as we go forward. As the project continues we’ll be reaching out to residents and advising on ways they can help help and get involved.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “By joining other global cities such as New York and Shanghai, as a Million Tree City we’ll be able to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to lessen the impact of climate change and help Edinburgh take climate action and make the city an even greener place to leave for future generations.
“Our dedicated Parks, Greenspace and Cemeteries service is leading a project to increase tree cover to help Edinburgh fulfil its Climate Emergency commitments and become a Million Tree City by 2030.
“It is an ambitious target but it is an achievable one and we’ll reach it if we continue to work together with our partners and citizens. Whether you live in the city, own land or property, if you are a business, charity or a school, or if you just love Edinburgh and want to see it flourish for future generations, we can all do our bit and I look forward to the project progressing.
Tim Hall, Head of Estates and Programmes with Woodland Trust Scotland said: “We launched our Emergency Tree Fund to support local authorities planting new urban trees needed to help tackle the climate and nature crises.
“I am delighted we are backing this ambitious bid to make Edinburgh a Million Tree City, which will bring huge benefits to people and wildlife.”
Charlie Cumming, the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust Chief Executive said: “ELGT are delighted to be working in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and the Woodland Trust to deliver such an ambitious and worthwhile tree planting project over the next 10 years.
“The benefits of this increase in tree planting will not only address the effects of climate change but will also encourage community participation with the residents of Edinburgh and will benefit people’s health and wellbeing.
“With so much focus this month on COP26 we appreciate that we need to start making an impact now; with more tree planting we will be able to improve our neighbourhoods and streetscapes and have a long lasting impact on our local environments.”
Two further community tree planting events took take place this week organised by partners.
School pupils helped Edinburgh & Lothian Greenspaces Trust to plant a “Wee Forest” of 600 whip trees in West Pilton Park funded by Nature Scotland yesterday and a further 400 whip trees were planted in Redwood Park in Colinton Mains by The Conservation Volunteers, organised and funded by the Council.
More details will be released about how citizens can get involved in the coming months or the team can be contacted via email.
Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, has announced that 38 parks in Edinburgh have been presented with a Green Flag Award. The accolade acknowledges quality green open spaces across the country that help to boost our nation’s health and wellbeing.
The international Green Flag Award is administered in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful and acts as a benchmark for recreational outdoor space. The award celebrates well maintained parks and greenspaces and supports the opportunities that they provide to enable exercise, improve mental wellbeing and provide safe areas for play – something that has been particularly important to everyone over the last 18 months. Over 2,000 parks across the world have achieved the award this year.
Amongst the 2021 award winners are spaces managed by local authorities, community groups and various other organisations including the NHS.
Amongst the 38 winning Edinburgh parks is the Royal Edinburgh Hospital run by NHS Lothian and Corstorphine Hill LNR Community Walled Garden run by Friends of Corstorphine Hill, whilst both Harrison Park and Braidburn Valley Park are celebrating their 15th consecutive year of achieving the Green Flag Award.
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented: “I would like to congratulate all of Scotland’s award-winning parks. Receiving this prestigious international benchmark recognises all the hard work that has gone into maintaining and managing these precious green open spaces.
“Every single one of these parks provides an invaluable service to the local communities that it serves – from creating a safe space to play, to think, to work out – and they helped to address many of the health and wellbeing challenges we faced as a country during lockdown.”
“Spending time in nature can be good for people’s health and wellbeing, and merely living in a greener neighbourhood can be good for health. The Green Flag Award recognises the valuable, and tangible contribution that these parks make towards the nation’s well-being.”
Tracey McKagen, Services Director for the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services in NHS Lothian, said: “I’m really delighted that our hospital has received this award as it shows how much work goes into looking after our beautiful greenspaces.
“These areas are very important to us in NHS Lothian as they enable both our staff and patients to connect with nature, which helps with mental and general wellbeing.
“This award was only possible with the support and contributions from the whole hospital community, so I would like to thank everyone involved for their ongoing hard work to support our natural areas. As the site evolves to meet future healthcare needs our greenspace management plan will ensue nature continues to be at the heart of the site.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: We’re incredibly proud of our beautiful parks in Edinburgh and it’s wonderful that we’re once again the proud holders of more Green Flags than anywhere else in Scotland – more than half of the awards granted.
“Green Flags are given to those parks that give everyone access to a safe, clean and pleasant green space where they can relax, play and exercise and I’m delighted that so many of our parks have achieved this important and much sought-after recognition which is well deserved.
“Despite the challenging times we’re all still facing and with increased investment, the quality of Edinburgh’s parks continues to improve. I want to pay tribute to everyone, staff, friends of parks and volunteers, who work so hard all year round, and in all-weathers to keep our award-winning parks so beautiful.
“These public spaces have been a source of comfort, solace, fun and relaxation for residents over the difficult last 18 months and are essential to our wellbeing. There’s always more to discover, though, so I’d encourage everyone to get out and explore our parks this Autumn.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, said: “This is fantastic news, parks have proved to be real havens in recent times and my thanks to our skilled and dedicated parks staff for their continued care and hard work.
“I also want to thank all our Friends of Parks groups for everything they do. The parks belong to the people of Edinburgh and we’re so grateful for the support from our citizens. Since we first started taking part in the Green Flag scheme in 2007, we’ve gone from just two flags to 38, which is more than half of all Green Flags given out in the whole country – this is a tremendous achievement and we’ll keep working hard to make sure our parks go from strength to strength.”
A detailed map of Scotland’s Green Flag sites can be found at:
The climate emergency can only be successfully tackled through greater focus on adapting to the inevitable climate impacts that we are already seeing, the Environment Agency has warned today (13 October) as it urged world leaders to step up to that challenge at COP26.
In a report to the UK Government, the agency has warned of more extreme weather leading to increased flooding and drought, sea level rises of up to 78cm by the 2080s, and public water supplies needing more than 3.4 billion extra litres of water per day by 2050. It has urged governments, businesses and society to embrace and invest in adaptation, rather than living with the costs of inaction.
With COP26 less than three weeks away, it has welcomed the UK Government’s focus on adaptation as well as mitigation, and the fact that climate adaptation is one of the Summit’s four key goals, but urged that more action is needed at a global level to protect the billions of lives and livelihoods that are at risk.
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “The climate crisis is global, but its impacts are in your village, your shop, your home. Adaptation action needs to be integral to government, businesses and communities too and people will soon question why it isn’t – especially when it is much cheaper to invest early in climate resilience than to live with the costs of inaction.
“While mitigation might save the planet, it is adaptation, preparing for climate shocks, that will save millions of lives. Choosing one over the other on the basis of a simple either/or calculation is like telling a bird it only needs one wing to fly.
“With that in mind, it is deeply worrying that adaptation is in danger of being grievously undercooked at COP26. Not by the UK Government, but by the world at large.
“Significant climate impacts are inevitable. We can successfully tackle the climate emergency if we do the right things, but we are running out of time to implement effective adaptation measures. Our thinking must change faster than the climate.
“Some 200 people died in this summer’s flooding in Germany. That will happen in this country sooner or later, however high we build our flood defences, unless we also make the places where we live, work and travel resilient to the effects of the more violent weather the climate emergency is bringing.
“It is adapt or die. With the right approach we can be safer and more prosperous. So let’s prepare, act and survive.”
The message comes in the Environment Agency’s third adaptation report, submitted to the UK government under the Climate Change Act.
Even with a 2°C temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels, key projections within the report include:
Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee, said: “We’re pleased to see the Environment Agency publishing its latest climate change adaptation plan.
“This road map will be vital to ensuring our natural and built environments are well adapted to the significant changes in our climate taking place today, with more to come.
We urge all Government agencies, authorities, regulators and businesses big and small to get their adaptation plans together before the deadline on 31 December.
“We look forward to assessing the EA’s plan in early 2022 as part of our independent appraisal for Government of similar plans from across the public and private sectors.
The report also sets out five climate “reality checks” to make the case for urgent action on adaptation:
The report highlights how the Environment Agency is working with government, businesses and communities to prepare for the impacts of climate change, including delivering a record £5.2 billion programme of new flood and coastal defences over the next six years.
While the risks are serious, they can be addressed by early action, and the report also sets out how the Environment Agency is meeting those challenges.
This includes:
