Climate East Midlands

Module 2 - Climate change

Why councils should act now

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Climate East Midlands

Overview

• The science - what is climate change?

• Where do CO2 emissions originate from?

• What are the impacts:– Globally– Locally

• Taking actionImage: NASA visible earth

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Climate East Midlands

What is climate change?

Image courtesy of Defra

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Climate East Midlands

CO2 concentrations are rising…

Image: Wikipedia (data source – Carbon Dioxide

Information Analysis Center)

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Climate East Midlands

…causing the world to get warmer

Image: The Hadley Centre

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Climate East Midlands

… because of the fossil fuels we’ve consumed

Image: Wiki Commons (data

source - US Global Change Research Information Office)

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Climate East Midlands

Carbon emissions by end user

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Global impacts

• Famine

• Drought

• Extreme weather events

• Flooding

• Collapse of ecosystems and extinction

Images: Wiki Commons

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Climate East Midlands

UK impacts

• Extreme heat• Water shortages• Flooding and sea level rises• Knock-on effects:

– Increased mortality due to heat waves

– Increased insurance premiums– Disrupted maintenance– Disrupted services– Disrupted transport

Image: EST

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Climate East Midlands

What do we need to do?

A two strand approach is needed:

• We need to mitigate climate change (i.e. reduce it) by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

• We need to adapt to the changing climate

ACTING ON THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

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Climate East Midlands

Other benefits

• Cutting greenhouse gas emissions has additional benefits:

– Increased ‘security of supply’

– Improved air quality– Lower fuel bills and/or

reduced fuel poverty

Images: freeimages.co.uk

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Policy response

• Kyoto protocol

– Global target: 5.2% decrease on 1990 levels by 2010

– EU: 8% cut – UK: 12.5% cut

• UK target

– Climate Change Act– 80% decrease on 1990

levels by 2050

Climate Change Act 2008

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Climate East Midlands

Local authorities are still required to report on

• CO2 reduction from LA operations (was NI185)

• Information on per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the LA area is now collected on behalf of DECC and published on an annual basis each autumn (was NI186)

Single data list

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Other drivers

• Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006

• Display Energy Certificates• Carbon Reduction Commitment• Housing standards• Planning and building control • Powers to act

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Local action is needed

• Local government is uniquely placed to tackle climate change.

– Democratic mandate for action– Strategic role– Leaders in the community

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“Councils face challenging financial conditions with tough decisions about

resource allocation. But these pressures cannot be an alibi for inaction. In our

view, citizens are entitled to expect council leadership and action on

climate change.”

Professor John Chesshire, Chairman, LGA Climate Change Commission, 2007