Press Release

National report helps England's Northwest prepare for climate change

18 June 2009

Work to prepare the Northwest for the inevitable effects of climate change will be given a boost from today, as organisations working to tackle climate change in the region get access to a new set of 'future climate scenarios' produced by DEFRA.

The partnership responsible for delivering the Northwest Climate Change Action Plan, together with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has welcomed the new DEFRA report: 'UK Climate Projections 2009' (released today – 19.6.09) and have committed to use the report's 90-year climate scenarios to strengthen the region's approach to climate change adaptation in the future.

The DEFRA report includes a number of probable scenarios for changes in the Northwest's climate, weather and marine activity due to climate change, including a projected rise of 16% in average winter rainfall in the region - with increases in the amount of rain on the wettest days leading to a higher risk of flooding.
The report enables the Northwest Climate Change Partnership to target funding and project support more effectively, so that the possible negative impacts of climate change can be mitigated.

This means that the current programme of adaptation activity being delivered by the Northwest Climate Change Partnership can evolve where appropriate to have greater impact.

This activity being delivered by the partnership includes the Environment Agency's flood and shoreline management plans; Natural England's work to reduce the impact on the region's biodiversity and landscapes, building on the report for the High Fells of the Lake District; Community Forests Northwest assessment into the impact green infrastructure and regional parks can play in capturing carbon emissions and reducing impacts of increased heat and flooding; and regional health services assessment of the impacts on future healthcare provision.

The Partnership will also work with business and local authorities across the region, to encourage a more localised use of the DEFRA scenarios, and in particular to encourage use of the tools within the report, such as key statistics, graphs, customisable maps and data on trends, to inform and improve adaptation activity across the whole of the Northwest.

Bryan Gray, Chair of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, said:

"The' UK Climate Projections' report comes at a time when the issues of energy and climate change are becoming increasingly high profile global priorities and one of the most significant challenges facing the world today. The NWDA together with the Northwest Climate Change Unit recognises the unprecedented challenges our environment, economy and energy supplies will face in the very near future.

"We welcome these new projections that provide us with a vital insight into the specific challenges our region will face. This will allow us to prepare our businesses and communities even more effectively though strong partnership working."

Continuing its commitment to make climate change scenario planning as integrated into regional planning as possible, the Climate Change Partnership is also launching a second report available to its stakeholders and partners today – the ARUP study: Impacts and Responses for Key Business Sectors and Public Services in the Northwest of England. The report, which has been written on behalf of the Partnership, takes a set of possible changes to the regional climate and then assesses the impacts on logistics, finance, markets, process, people and premises, for all sectors.

Alice Owen, Associate Director at Arup, who led the team that authored the report, said:

"This research helps organisations to focus on the aspects of climate change that are most relevant to them. It takes a subject that can appear complicated and breaks the issues down into manageable chunks. This enables businesses to take appropriate action now in order to become more successful in the future."

The NWDA is the lead regional Development Agency for Energy and Climate Change, galvanizing action in all the English regions to contribute to renewable energy priorities.

For further information about the Northwest Climate Change Action Plan, the Climate Change Partnership or the work of the partnership around climate change adaptation, please visit www.climatechangenorthwest.co.uk

For further information about the DEFRA report, 'UK Climate Projections 2009' please visit www.ukcp09.net