Preparing for a Changing Climate: Good Practice Guide published
A new guide has been published today that is set to boost climate change resilience and revolutionise the way local authorities manage and plan for climate change risk.
‘Preparing for a Changing Climate: Good Practice Guidance for Local Government’ is designed to assist local government with preparing for the impacts of climate change, a process known as change adaptation.
The guide was commissioned by Defra and developed by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) and the Local Adaptation Advisory Panel (LAAP). It includes input from the Local Government Association, Core Cities, and the NHS England Sustainable Development Unit.
Nigel Riglar, 1st Vice President of ADEPT and chair of LAAP said: “The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change, as a result of historic emissions - the UK is projected to see increasing summer temperatures, more extreme weather and rising sea levels.
“Urgent action is needed to face these challenges. We need to both drastically reduce our carbon emissions and build climate resilience into our systems and services.
“Local authorities have significant powers to influence how climate change is experienced in local areas through the decisions they make – building climate resilience must therefore be at the heart of local authority decision making.”
The guide was launched at ADEPT’s Spring Conference 2019, which took place on Thursday 27 June in London. Sessions included communities & infrastructure, place-based funding and climate change and the environment.
Nigel Riglar, continued: “What is key is that environment policy needs to be at the heart of all place-based decisions for local authorities.”
“This Good Practice Guide is designed to share skills, knowledge and experience to accelerate local authority action. It outlines practical steps that can be implemented, gives a framework on land use planning and the built environment, and guidance on how to boost natural capital and build public health, social care and community resilience.
“ADEPT members, through their relationships with suppliers and their ability to influence the supply chain, means they are uniquely positioned to make an impact and take action.”
ADEPT is the voice of local authority county, unitary and metropolitan Strategic Place Directors across England with responsibility for the key place based services, including transport, environment, planning, economic development, housing and waste.
The document is available for download from: www.adeptnet.org.uk/climategpg