The changing climate: can local services cope with the heat?
From Future of Local Services to the Public
Contents |
Summary
The term 'climate change' is used to describe any change in the modern climate (such as 'global warming') and reflects changes in the Earth's atmosphere, processes in other parts of the world and the effects of human activity.
According to the Stern Report 1 the atmosphere could reach double pre-industrial level as early as 2035, potentially causing a global average temperature rise of 2C to 5C (or possibly 20C or more). A temperature rise of this type would have impacts both global and local, as would actions needed to mitigate these. For example, the need to reduce greenhouse emissions globally concerns both national development and industry as well as local waste collection and recycling.
As well as in the Stern Review and elsewhere, many of these impacts are discussed in the 'Local Government Horizon Scan 2015-2020' produced by Susan Clayton and Wendy Schultz for the Local Government Association 2
Impacts
- Various environmental changes. Winters will be milder and wetter and summers hotter and drier. There is also likely to be an increase in the number of extreme weather events such as very hot weather, and storms. There will be a greater risk of flooding and low lying areas of the UK will be susceptible 2,3,4
- Targets set on reducing carbon emissions. This to impact at a local level with Local Government expected to take a lead in encouraging residents to take steps to reduce emissions. 2,5
- Significant impacts to business, particularly in relation to land usage and with regard to waste and recycling 1,5
Relevance
- Essentially relevant to all, but in terms of Local Government, particularly to those in Waste Management, Housing and Communications
Related links
1 Stern Review www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm
2 Susan Clayton and Wendy Schultz (2008) 'Local Government Horizon Scan 2015-2020' Future Creation Ltd, LGA
4 UK Climate Impacts Programme Website www.ukcip.org.uk
5 The Tavistock Institute, Solon Consultants, LGIU, CLG (April 2006) 'All Our Futures: the challenges to local governance in 2015' www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/allourfutures
Open Letter to the Prime Minister from Richard Lambert, CBI director general; David Nussbaum, chief executive, WWF-UK; Paul Golby, co-chair of the energy research partnership and Ben Verwaayen, chair of CBI Climate change task force commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_letter/2008/05/a_fair_trade.html
