Launching a new information hub that will help businesses, planners, and others to adapt to climate change, Ms Ruddock said that as the climate changed, there would be more extreme weather, with an increased risk of flooding and erosion, hotter and drier summers, loss of biodiversity and risks to human health - and society would have to adapt to those changes.
The website is a one-stop shop offering easy access to the most comprehensive collection of resources on adapting to climate change available in the UK, and is part of the Government's drive to ensure that Britain is ready to deal with the impacts of climate change that are already irreversible.
It includes details of how the climate will alter, links to practical tools for adaptation, and examples of what is already being done around the country.
Ms Ruddock said:
"Our climate is changing. We need to future proof our buildings and public spaces against this as much as possible. Even nature itself will need help to adapt to climate change if we're not to lose precious biodiversity.
"We'll need good design that works with the environment rather than against it, creating buildings that stay cool in the heat and deal with water that will be in short supply in summer and pouring into the drains during heavy storms. This one stop shop will help people to identify the challenges we will face in the future and to make the decisions now that will help us to manage them.
"We are already starting to see some visionary climate-resistant buildings around Britain. I want builders and designers to follow the lead of the innovators behind these buildings by factoring a changing climate into their plans."
One example in Nottingham is a much-lauded example of building design that engages fully with climate change and its impacts. The award winning Castle Meadows Inland Revenue headquarters has no air conditioning; instead it's cooled through natural ventilation, triple glazing, electronically-controlled blinds, external light shelves and carefully controlled nightime cooling. Warm air is drawn out of each of the floors into glass stairwells that also act as ventilation towers. A second example, based in Lincolnshire, is the Wash Banks Flood defence scheme which covers 8km of the coast of the Wash in Lincolnshire from Hobhole Sluice in the Witham Haven to Butterwick. The scheme was funded by grant aid from Defra and the Lincolnshire Flood Defence Committee.
Construction involved a combination of strengthening of the existing embankment, the provision of a new closure bank and the realignment of the sea defences to provide a 12ha brackish lagoon and a 78ha realignment area to develop into a saltmarsh. This has improved the standard of flood defence to the town of Boston and the surrounding area from 1:20 to 1:200 years. The original line of the sea defence was breached in three places and construction of the project was effectively completed at the time of the breach in summer.
The saltmarsh is also making a significant contribution towards Britain's Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets. The 78ha created is 56% of the national targets for saltmarsh creation per annum. The 12ha is new saline lagoon created by excavating material for the new sea bank are also a valuable contribution towards a national priority Biodiversity Action Plan habitat.
A third example is the Long Eaton School in the East Midlands which has an Eco Committee, that is open to all students. It is attended by students, teachers, the caretaker, the county Eco Schools coordinator and a local Groundwork representative. As well as introducing several measures to tackle climate change mitigation, the Eco Committee have:
- successfully put forward a proposal which led to a shaded plaza being created on the upper school site
- gained a grant from the Tree Council and a donation from the local borough council have allowed the Eco Committee and Groundwork, to plant trees and shrubs around the school.
A climate-resilient building in the future could include reinforced foundations to deal with soil shrinkage, permeable paving to absorb heavy rainfall, secure ventilation to ensure that it is both safe and cool, rainwater storage, and ways to reduce the impacts of flooding, such as putting power outlets higher up the walls.
To avoid dangerous climate change, it is vital to reduce CO2 emissions around the world and in the UK. However, even if all emissions stopped tomorrow, the world will still see rising temperatures for 30 to 40 years, and at least 100 years of sea level rise, due to CO2 emissions from the past.
The site is linked to the UK Climate Impacts Programme, the Environment Agency and others who are working on adapting to climate change, and will be updated regularly to reflect the latest information and advice.
Notes to Editors
1. The Adapting to Climate Change website can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/adapt/index.htm and forms part of the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme.
2. The Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme brings together the work already being led by Government and the wider public sector on adapting to climate change, and will co-ordinate and drive the development of the Government's work on this in the future. The website provides further information about the Programme, and also provides information about the adaptation clauses in the Climate Change Bill.
3. Further information on the Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme can also be found in the document, Adapting to Climate Change in England: a framework for action, published on 24 July.
4. The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) provides a range of tools to help others understand the possible impacts of climate change, including a set of scenarios that show how our climate might change at a regional and national level. New scenarios are due out in November 2008. It also offers advice on adaptation and assists with research. More information is available at http://www.ukcip.org.uk/
5. The majority of UKCIP's funding is from Defra. Scenarios produced by UKCIP in 2002 suggest that in the UK climate change will mean that:
- average UK annual temperatures may rise by 2 to 3.5oC by the 2080s
- offshore waters in the English Channel may be up to 4.5 degrees C warmer by the 2080s
- annual average rainfall across the UK may decrease slightly, by between 0 and 15% by the 2080s
- snowfall amounts may decrease significantly throughout the UK
- extreme weather events are likely to become more common
The Adapting to Climate Change website forms part of Defra's Act on CO2 campaign. Anyone from anywhere in England can call the Act on CO2 Advice Line on 0800 512 012 to access free, tailored, impartial advice from the Energy Saving Trust on how to reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to the advice on how to use less energy in their home, callers can now get advice on how to save water, reduce waste, green their travel, and connect to grants and offers from energy companies.
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