Adaptation: Meeting the Challenge Professor Gordon MacKerron Director, SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research) University of Sussex Presented to West Sussex Environment and Climate Change Board Creating a Climate for Change County Hall North, Horsham, 23 September 2010

Adaptation to climate change……. …..sounds abstract, far off in time, and maybe someone else’s problem but if re-framed as ‘managing the risks of increasingly extreme weather’ it becomes more immediate (and politically important!) climate change is higher average temperatures – sounds OK until you think of 4 degrees C or higher by 2100…… ….it’s also greater variation in weather: storms, drought, floods, snow, summer heatwaves, maybe new diseases

Adaptation vs. mitigation? Since 2003, UK policy at all levels has mostly been about mitigation – mainly cutting carbon emissions from energy Adaptation was seen as defeatist, as if giving up on mitigation But now clear that we are locked into a good deal of climate change, whatever mitigation we do So we have to adapt, and the more we mitigate (around the world) the less adaptation is needed So mitigation and adaptation are complementary, not competitive

Why is adaptation becoming an issue now? Some high profile extreme weather events Growing international awareness of adaptation needs UK Government acting in creating Climate Change Act, the Committee on Climate Change and its Adaptation Sub- committee Consequent central Government activity and interest by external bodies e.g. Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

So what does adaptation involve? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (and they should know)….. Reducing exposure to the risk of damage Developing the capacity to cope with unavoidable damage Taking advantage of new opportunities And according to the guidance from NI 188, we can also distinguish between Building adaptive capacity, and Delivering adaptation actions

How does it work locally? Adaptation Sub-committee of CCC identifies five priority areas Land use planning National infrastructure provision Designing and renovating buildings Managing natural resources sustainably Effective emergency planning Local authorities are critical in delivery of most of these

A recent practical example: Brighton and Hove A Scrutiny Panel (I chaired it) on adaptation, reporting to B&H Cabinet today! A long inquiry, involving a very large number of witnesses – Many Council functions, from public health and tourism to buildings management – External agencies including Environment Agency, UK Climate Impacts Programme, Environment Agency, Sussex Wildlife Trust – Members of the Local Strategic Partnership, including NHS, fire service, water company

B&H Panel main recommendations (1) Appoint Cabinet member with overall responsibility for adaptation issues Ensure a good Local Climate Impact Profile is undertaken following UKCP09 Revise the Climate Change Action Plan to include integration of adaptation, and monitor regularly Use the National Indicator 188 (possibly now deceased!) to measure the progress of B&H in developing capacity Ensure that non-statutory agencies and the LSP are engaged in planning

B&H Panel main recommendations (2) Climate change resilience and business continuity to be built into new commissioning model An ‘adaptation test’ to be built into publicly commissioned services and new planning polices to require adaptation to be considered in new developments Importance of liaising with adjacent local authorities in planning for adaptation Use resources of local universities (!) Sufficient resources need to be available, primarily in the form of people with relevant training and experience

Conclusion Climate change adaptation is an enhanced form of risk management: it matters now It requires much more joined up planning – within local authorities – beyond them – especially with neighbouring authorities Practical metrics need to be developed along the lines of ‘adaptation testing’ and planning requirements …. And it’s not all doom: don’t forget the opportunities such as tourism development