In England and Wales, local authorities have a vital role to play in shaping how their local communities can help mitigate and adapt to climate change.
There is a growing requirement for local authorities to consider how they will adapt to the effects of climate change.
The Changing Climate, Changing Places project in Wales is helping four local authorities to tackle this new area of work. They will use existing tools and techniques available to local government and develop them for use by any authority in Wales.
The project aims to clarify what local authorities need to do and how they can work with other organisations to achieve their aims.
What we did and why
The project aims to make communities in Wales more resilient to the impacts of climate change and improve the capacity of Welsh local councils to address the consequences.
‘The project aims to help local authorities to help themselves,’ says Melanie Meaden, Environment Agency Wales. ‘It’s about identifying practical actions that will help people and the environment adapt to climate change. That could be planning for increased flood risk, protecting the unique habitat of Snowdonia National Park or adapting housing to cope with higher temperatures.’
The participating authorities and project partners are working together to:
- develop better ways of planning for adaptation, including for individual service areas
- understand what those impacts may be, their level of risk and appropriate responses
- share data and information to inform decision-making, policy and practice
- make sure that the people and groups we work with are aware of the adaptation agenda and their role
- identify gaps in research and knowledge needed to inform future work
What happens next
The project began in spring 2008 and will run for three years. The first 18 months will involve data collection, impacts mapping and risk assessment. Then each local authority will develop a climate change adaptation strategy, working with the project partners. The third year is all about implementing the strategy.
Who’s involved
Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
Environment Agency Wales,
Countryside Council for Wales,
UK Climate Impacts Programme
The four Welsh local authorities involved are Gwynedd, Flintshire, Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taff.
More information
