Adapting to Climate Change

It is available on their website at www.vision21.org.uk

The document looks at expected scenarios and what the challenges that may arise could be, and what the risks of these things happening are.

The specific adaptation measures that individuals/ households should adopt have to be developed by them based on their own circumstances, experiences, resources available and abilities.

In the UK the major probable changes are identified as follows:

• Prolonged heat with little rain producing shortages of water with the consequent impact on food production, health and an increased risk of fire.

• Prolonged cold which damages crops, communications, and food/energy supplies, and makes life uncomfortable and limiting.

• Prolonged rain, producing flooding, disrupting energy supplies and threatening food supplies.

• Strong winds with the potential to damage power lines, communications, and property.

These give rise to the following threats:

• Disruption and shortage of food supplies

• Disruption of power grid

• Substantial increases in the cost of energy

• Limitations on water supply, i.e. drinking, sewage and irrigation

• Damage by fire

• Damage by storm, flood and cold

• Social breakdown/ disease brought about by hunger/ social unrest/ economic collapse etc.

• Inability to get property insurance in certain areas or for certain ‘events’, with ensuing property blight

• Incapacity of first responders and emergency services to cope with large scale ‘events’.

The author, John Webster, was an environmental health officer and Head of Department at Cheltenham Borough Council for many years and subsequently became an elected Councillor and Deputy Leader of the Council.

He retired from politics in order to see what could be done by individuals to address the impact of climate change, and the guide is a result of his experience.

He says: ‘Climate Change is happening and will accelerate. One of its key features is unpredictability in the case of the UK. The early impacts are likely to mean that energy and food will become more expensive and people need to take measures to address these costs by reducing their bills. We can all do things that make us more self reliant such as growing food to supplement what we can afford to buy or generating some of our own power. If you look at the risks methodically then many of the solutions are common sense’.