July 14, 2011

expert reaction to CCC Adaptation Sub-Committee report on UK vulnerability to climate change

Latest report from the UK government’s Climate Change Committee.

Tom Foulkes, Director General of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), said:

“We agree that more must be done to prepare for the impacts of climate change, particularly in adapting our critical infrastructure which has a direct impact on the economy and well-being of society. The failure to ensure investment plans in the water sector address the long-term implications of climate change is a major issue that ICE has also identified, and we were disappointed that it was not properly addressed in the recent Ofwat review. The regulatory regime must reflect today’s environmental challenges if we are to have a secure supply of water in the future.”

Nick Reeves, Executive Director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), said:

“I welcome the report of the Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC). In particular I welcome the report’s headline message that action on water efficiency and smarter water resource planning are necessary if we are to avoid increasing and spreading the risks of water stress and drought. To date, very few governmental and independent reports on climate change have adequately highlighted the very real threat of climate change to what is our most precious resource and the infrastructure needed to treat and supply it.

“The report refers to the impact of changing demographics and the effect that this is having on the UK’s ability to adapt to climate change. But the report doesn’t go far enough. The truth is that a growing population, increased levels of consumption, urban creep and inadequate investment are resulting in unsustainable development and unprecedented pressure on our infrastructure. Building on and near floodplain, and development in areas of water stress, continues. This – despite the human misery and cost – suggests that we have not yet learned the lessons of recent floods and extreme weather events. Much more needs to be done to future-proof our urban settlements. This will mean better information and land planning, incentives for the introduction of water efficiency technologies, retro-fitting of homes, universal water metering and urgent adaptation planning by the utility companies, regulators and local authorities.

“In terms of future action, the report fails to acknowledge a key recommendation of the former Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) that a programme of continued professional development training on climate change adaptation be put in place. The Commission’s report of March 2010, ‘Adapting Institutions to Climate Change’, recognised that training is vital to good adaptation planning and knowledge and was right to call on the engineering, planning and environment professional bodies to put such training in place and that the government should work with them to achieve it. Those at the forefront of developing and implementing climate change adaptation policies and plans will need to be the best that they can be to meet the challenge of climate change and to protect our communities.”