Speech by Joan Ruddock MP to the Guardian conference on ‘Planning for Climate Adaptation: future-proofing our public services for the changing environment’, London — 19 May 2008
Thank you for that kind introduction. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.
Even if we stopped all emissions of greenhouse gases tomorrow, we would still be locked in to 30 to 40 years of temperature rise and 100 years of sea level rise. Of increased water scarcity. Threatened biodiversity loss. And extreme weather events.
As I’m sure Dr Parry has said, it’s no longer a question of whether we need to act. It’s a question of how we deal with our changing climate. To reduce the threats that this poses. And to take full advantage of the opportunities that will also arise.
Work has begun. The Climate Change Bill will put adaptation on a statutory footing for the first time. We have put in place a world leading resource. The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), provides information and tools which can be used by organisations in every sector to help them adapt to both the risks and opportunities of a changing climate. In November this year they will publish probabilistic scenarios with climate predictions which will be able to predict down to 25km squared.
Already in place are the Climate Change Partnerships – all adding adaptation to their original briefs of mitigation. The Three Regions Climate Change Partnership (between London, the South East and the East) provides us with an excellent example of how to ensure that the risks and opportunities of a changing climate are better understood. Their housing report demonstrates low-cost, sustainable options - installing a low flow shower saving water and the energy used to heat the water. Winter insulation: not just keeping homes warm in the winter, but cool in the summer. And relocating white goods on a plinth above a likely flood level reducing the cost of recovery, if flooding should occur. In recognition of the importance of such work, I am delighted to be able to announce today that we will make £450 000 available this year in additional funding to the Climate Change Partnerships. This money will be available to CCPs this year and there will be addition funding over the following two years.
We know we can expect warmer, wetter winters. Hotter, drier summers and less predictable weather patterns for which we have to prepare.
The 2003 heat wave caused an estimated 2000 extra deaths which is why the NHS first published a heatwave plan in 2004, That plan has been updated every year since, providing guidance on actions to take before and during a heatwave in order to reduce health risks.
But it is not just people we have to worry about. Severe temperatures have a major affect on our infrastructure. In 2003 the high temperatures deformed in the surface of many roads with loss of skid resistance in some cases .
London Underground trains broke down, in one instance trapping 4000 passengers and subjecting them to combined temperatures and humidity approaching 40 degrees C.
Last year's floods resulted in several rail lines and stations being closed for days on end, and closures on 8 motorways.
In response, the Highways Agency is making a full assessment of how to manage the risk from climate change to its roads network, and has already improved drainage and road surface standards to increase resilience.
DfT has established a cross-rail industry forum to identify the challenges posed to the railway, and Network Rail is producing 'hazard maps' highlighting vulnerable areas.
With such impacts and pressures in mind, we need to build resilience into our infrastructure as a whole, not just our transport network, but our commercial and our public buildings.
But the level of concern and awareness in business circles about the risks of climate change is currently far too low.
In a survey which the Carbon Disclosure Project carried out, nearly half of companies questioned in the construction industry showed little or no concern over climate change, despite the fact that buildings, of course, have a lifetime expectancy of up to a century. Not to take account of the impact of future changes in our climate when designing and building properties is at best - short sighted. At worst - foolhardy.
So we need to provide sectors like the construction industry with certainty. Provide them and everyone else with a long term legally binding framework of how we plan to cut CO2 emissions and help us all adapt to climate change. That’s where the Climate Change Bill comes in - putting the reporting of adaptation on a statutory footing. Requiring us to assess the risks climate change poses to the country and regularly set out a plan of action. When the legislative framework in the bill is clearer – it’ going to come into the Commons quite soon - we will publish an Adaptation Policy Framework. It will highlight what we as a Government are already doing; why we are doing it, and how we need to move forward.
One of the key issues the framework will highlight is the fact that the Government cannot do everything. A one size fits all approach won’t work for adaptation at a local level. Much will depend on local circumstances such as population, industry and local geography.
Which is why we’ve introduced a new performance indicator for local authorities to underline the need for them to take the necessary action locally.
The indicator is designed to measure the progress of how prepared local authorities are for adapting to climate change. While all local authorities will, of course, have to report on adaptation, I’m particularly pleased that currently about a third of councils have adopted this indicator as one of their 35 priorities.
We’re looking to them to embed the management of climate change risk and opportunity into everything they do. This means working out how changes in our climate affect issues from the handling of household waste through managing the local environment, to overseeing the building programmes of new developments.
Many councils already have initiatives underway.
Devon County Council, is a case in point, providing information and advice to local tourist businesses on how they can adapt. Their toolkit asks businesses to check their vulnerability against the increased risk of flooding. To check their insurance cover, health and safety and access issues. And in the face of a possible heat wave they are asked to look at possible impacts of increased fire risks, animal welfare and the safety of their customers and staff.
What is certain is that every community needs to plan to adapt. While some, such as coastal communities are more obviously vulnerable, nowhere is beyond the reach of changing weather patterns.
Take last summer’s floods – no one can be sure where torrential and prolonged rain will fall next, but there are many lessons to be learned from last year’s experiences.
At the Government’s request Sir Michael Pitt is leading the full independent review of the flooding. His interim report in December 2007 oulined 15 Urgent Recommendations which the Government accepted.
We are working with other organisations implementing them quickly as possible so that, as a country, we are as well prepared as possible for when significant rainfall next occurs.
Flooding has always been a risk to the UK and over the years our precautionary approach to river and sea flooding has been developed. But we need to do more, and I know Barbara will be saying much more about this. ‘Making Space for Water’ is bringing Government and other stakeholders together – such as the Environment Agency - in developing a broad range of measures.
As well as investment in building and maintaining defences, these measures include such things as encouraging better flood resilience and resistance for buildings, improved management of surface water, better stakeholder and community engagement and risk mapping.
We have also increased funding - though I know Barbara will say not enough but we are at £650m this year, going up to £800m in 2010/11.
I am also pleased to say that as of today in the North East there will be a Climate Change Adaptation Business Advisor - the first of its type – who will work with businesses in the region to raise their adaptive capacity.
I mentioned floods but, of course, I haven’t mentioned drought – another climate change threat. This threat is addressed in our recent water strategy – called Future Water – and as the PM announced last Wednesday we will bring the two concerns together in a draft Floods and Water bill for consultation next year.
Human life is always our priority in these discussions but we cannot separate our lives from the wider natural environment and the services it provides in sustaining us. Here too climate change is making its mark - as the RSPB have described in their fascinating study of European Breeding Birds. One of its main findings showed a 550 kilometre shift to the north east in the breeding range of many species. And an average contraction in area of a fifth.
Even more shocking are the results of the WWF’s most recent Living Planet Index showing that more than a quarter of animal populations on the planet had been wiped out in the past 35 years as a result of human activity.
We ignore such reports at our peril so have made a start at looking at how wildlife might be helped to adapt in this country. Last year, we published guidance on building adaptive capacity within biodiversity conservation. It makes clear that adaptation requires flexible planning to maintain and enhance existing biodiversity, and help species to exploit ‘climate space’.
This really underlines the importance of maintaining wildlife habitats and managing the risks imposed by climate change. But as Natural England argue in their report today on the State of the Natural Environment, there is much more we can be doing.
But there of course some opportunities in climate change as well. Opportunities to invest in new technology. And opportunities to create new businesses that previously couldn’t be established because of our climate.
Current annual turnover for the environmental industry sector is more than £25 billion. It’s estimated this figure will grow to more than £34 billion in 2010. And £46 billion five years further down the line.
Today’s agenda asks: is adaptation the Cinderella of climate change? It was, but no longer. Everyone alive today will experience the need to adapt. It will be a continuous challenge, even more so for those in developing countries.
It will be a challenge, too, for government to create the political space and public support to plan for the long term when faced with immediate and acute economic problems.
We need the broadest coalition and I look to audiences like this for that commitment – to work together to meet the challenge of adapting our country to inevitable climate change.
Page published: 19 May 2008