1 / 16

Planning and climate change adaptation

Planning and climate change adaptation. Met Office & IAIA UK/Ireland Branch Climate change adaptation strategies and their incorporation in impact assessments Exeter, 8 October 2009 Elizabeth Wilson, Oxford Brookes University ebwilson@brookes.ac.uk. Key points.

jayme
Download Presentation

Planning and climate change adaptation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. School of the Built Environment Planning and climate changeadaptation Met Office & IAIA UK/Ireland Branch Climate change adaptation strategies and their incorporation in impact assessments Exeter, 8 October 2009 Elizabeth Wilson, Oxford Brookes University ebwilson@brookes.ac.uk

  2. Key points • Climate change is changing spatial planning • Experience in UK and Ireland: - policy context changing - planning is addressing adaptation at national, regional and local levels - use of SA, SEA and EIA to address climate change in plans & projects • Possible approaches to ensure EA (anticipatory & preventive) addresses CC adaptation School of the Built Environment

  3. Climate change • Climate change is happening and will increase (IPCC 4th Assessment; Stern Review; UKCIP09 projections; EEA) • Mitigation (reduction) and adaptation are essential • Mitigation and adaptation responses need co-ordinating, and will themselves have impacts • Therefore important role for planning and EA • Implications for all levels of assessment School of the Built Environment

  4. National climate change policy: Ireland National CC Strategy 2007-12 National Adaptation Strategy due 2009 Impacts: • temperature increase esp summer/autumn; • increase winter rainfall; decrease summer esp S & E coasts • More frequent extreme events Key vulnerabilities: biodiversity, built environment, tourism, agriculture Integrate into spatial planning, building codes, water resource management School of the Built Environment

  5. Climate change and planning horizons • Planning for sustainable development: obligations for current and future generations • Planning should be forward-looking: - life-time of developments: c.60 years - life-time of infrastructure: c.100 years (IME; CIRIA) - construction, operation & decommissioning phases BUT, • while planning horizons have been short… • Climate change is extending planning horizons • Planning needs to think strategically School of the Built Environment

  6. Planning for climate change: Ireland • National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020 - Growth management - Gateways and hubs • National Development Plan 2007-2013 - no reference to adaptation School of the Built Environment

  7. Planning for climate change: UK UK: • Planning Advice 2004 England: • Dec 2007 PPS 1 Supplement: Planning & Climate Change • 2009 Revision of PPS1 Supplement and PPS22 Renewable Energy Scotland: National Planning Framework 2 2009 Wales: Spatial Plan NI: 2009 Climate Change Spatial Planning Policy? (Friends of the Earth) School of the Built Environment

  8. Principles for spatial planning for adaptation • Assess risk and uncertainty: - level of confidence in climate change scenarios - much of climate change to c 2040s is determined - recognise consequences even if probability unknown - undertake No Regrets and Low regrets actions • Distinguish - climate-influenced planning policies - climate adaptation policies - climate adaptation constraining policies • UKCIP: distinguish Building Adaptive Capacity from Adaptation Actions • Use socio-economic scenarios • Integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation School of the Built Environment

  9. Substantive planning policy themes • Infrastructure • Flood risk • Coasts • Water resources • Biodiversity and landscape • Economic development & regeneration • Transport • Waste and material resources • Energy systems • Built environment and open spaces • Green and blue infrastructure • Food security • Health School of the Built Environment

  10. National policy: Development and coastal changeCLG Consultation on new planning policy 2009 • PPG20 adopts strongly precautionary approach • Restricts any development in areas at risk of coastal erosion • Economic and social viability? • Therefore proposes strategic risk-based approach • Development in areas vulnerable to coastal change may be allowed… • …where life-time can be managed within time frame of coastal change School of the Built Environment

  11. Adaptation in regional planning:a doomed success story? • Regional Spatial Strategies adopted 2008-09 • Considerable attention to climate change adaptation • Outcome of Regional Climate Change Partnerships? • or Sustainability Appraisal? But • RSSs to be replaced by new integrated Regional Strategies • Post 2010? School of the Built Environment

  12. Adaptation in local planning policy • Local Development Frameworks • Eco-towns and urban extensions eg North West Bicester integrating adaptation and mitigation • Urban Villages eg Bilston Urban Village, West Midlands: used CC scenarios: - thermal comfort - flood-risk & drainage School of the Built Environment

  13. Retro-fitting urban areas;and local community action plans • London Plan: - Urban heat island policies • Existing urban areas eg Soho • Community-level plans eg Transition Towns eg Low Carbon West Oxford: micro-hydro School of the Built Environment

  14. Role for SEA, Sustainability Appraisal and EIA • Slow improvements in practice? esp water resource, coastal and some spatial plans • SA for new Regional Strategies: relevant policies include CC adaptation • EIA for Nationally Significant Infrastructure projects eg reservoirs, barrages, flood defences • Important role for Infrastructure Planning Commission? School of the Built Environment

  15. Better EA practice to address CC adaptation • Assess - impact of climate change on plan/project - impact of plan/project on climate change • Steps in EA: scoping, baseline, options • Use future scenarios (CC and socio-economic) for resilience & robustness • Interactions and cumulative impacts • Consistency matrix for mitigation & adaptation • Use ecosystem approach eg river basins School of the Built Environment

  16. Conclusions • Spatial planning is addressing adaptation • New policies and objectives • Role of SA, SEA and EIA: to move from laggard to leader School of the Built Environment

More Related