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What Wiltshire Council is doing to tackle Climate Change

What Wiltshire Council is doing to tackle Climate Change. Ariane Crampton, Head of Climate Change 12 November 2009. Overview. Why we have a new climate change team Carbon emissions for UK and council The Council’s climate change objectives & activities

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What Wiltshire Council is doing to tackle Climate Change

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  1. What Wiltshire Council is doing to tackle Climate Change Ariane Crampton, Head of Climate Change 12 November 2009

  2. Overview Why we have a new climate change team Carbon emissions for UK and council The Council’s climate change objectives & activities Climate change projections for the South West Questions

  3. Why we have a new climate change team • Wiltshire residents want us to act - 79% agree that it is important for the Council to take a lead on climate change • Legislation – Climate Change Act/ Carbon Reduction Commitment • Policy drivers – Government measures the performance of councils according to use of natural resources and national indicators relating to climate change • Need to reduce fossil fuel use to reduce bills and improve fuel security

  4. UK carbon emissions UK carbon emissions

  5. What is being done about it? • Climate Change Act commits the UK to a 34% cut in emissions by 2020 and an 80% cut by 2050 • New global Climate Change deal to be agreed in Copenhagen

  6. More context • The UK’s direct emissions of CO2 are 560m tonnes (MtCO2) a year • 8% are from the public sector • The move to a low carbon economy presents significant challenges but huge opportunities • Stern Review: “The overall costs and risks of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year…the estimates of damage could rise to 20%.” “The costs of action…can be limited to 1% of global GDP.”

  7. Wiltshire carbon emissions totals* (kT) Totals • Total for 2005 – 3,518 • Total for 2006 – 3,604 This is broken down into three areas: • Industry and commercial • Domestic • Road Transport • * Defra - Local and Regional CO2 Emissions Estimates for 2005-6 • Date of release:18/09/2008 • http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/index.htm

  8. Wiltshire per capita carbon emissions 2006 • By sector • Industry and commerce 3.2 tonnes • Domestic emissions 2.7 tonnes • Road transport 2.1 tonnes • All sectors • Wiltshire Average 8.0 tonnes • UK Average 7.4 tonnes

  9. What is the Council doing?

  10. Local Authority Climate Change Activity LA operational emissions Area wide emissions Adaptation to climate change Business & Public Sector Buildings (& Schools) Street lights Transport Residents NI 186 NI 188 NI 185 EST EA LAA CRC DECs, EPC Carbon Trust LACM programme Carbon Trust Standard (CTS)

  11. The council’s carbon emissions Emissions for 2008-09 (NI 185) were 60,000 tonnes CO2. Most of this (50,000 t) came from buildings and streetlights. Wiltshire schools are responsible for 47% of emissions from stationery sources.

  12. Getting our own house in order • Working with the Carbon Trust to put together a 5 year plan to cut our carbon emissions. • Signing up to 10:10 • Currently assessing carbon saving opportunities to be prioritised according to payback time, eg: • better insulation, boilers and heating controls • switching off streetlights where residents want this • combined heat and power plants for leisure centres • looking at opportunities to reduce staff travel • staff energy efficiency campaign

  13. Meeting our carbon reduction targets Needs high commitment and commercial /risk management skills ??% Design & Asset Management Low CO2 new build Property rationalisation Procurement changes Longer term, larger scale 10% Invest to Save Insulation and heat recovery Lighting and controls Combined heat and power (CHP) Plant / fleet replacement Mature technologies, medium investment 20% Good Housekeeping Metering and Targeting Behaviour change and training Regular inspection & Audit Low cost but requires human resources 10% 60% Organisational realignment Policy change, process review Renewable Technologies Biomass boilers, Wind Solar thermal, GSHP 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

  14. Reducing the county’s carbon footprint • Developing a carbon reduction strategy for Wiltshire with support from the Energy Saving Trust. • Working with housing, planning, transport planning, economic development, education, youth services, libraries, community development • Currently assessing how we do things and EST will make recommendations for improvement by January • Wiltshire Core Strategy and LDF process key

  15. Carbon reduction initiatives • Greener Living Roadshows • Low carbon retrofit homes demonstration – 5 homes in Wiltshire • Warm Front insulation/boiler replacements • £250,000 bid for a Warm and Well scheme • Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon Green Streets bid £175,000 • Urchfont Climate Friendly Community group short-listed for Green Community Heroes Awards • Transition Community Corsham Green Communities programme

  16. NI188: Adapting to Climate Change Aim: To embed the management of climate risks and opportunities across the local authority and partner services, plans and estates and to take appropriate adaptive actions as required. LAA target linked to reward payment

  17. Latest Climate Change projections (2009) Projections are made as part of the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) In future, the South West of England is projected to have: Milder, wetter winters (more floods) Hotter, drier summers (more droughts) More extreme weather events (eg storms)

  18. For summer mean temperature, we see significant increases over the decades to the 2080s(changes are against a 1961-1990 average) Increased Tourism Increased Heat stress Infrastructure risks Risks to biodiversity Heat related deaths Risk to Food Security 2020s +1.60C 2050s +2.70C 2080s +3.90C South-West England central estimate Medium emissions But the temperature on the hottest day of the year could increase by up to 10ºC Higher than the 2003 heat wave The change for the 2080s is very unlikely to be less than 2.1ºC and very unlikely to be more than 6.4ºC (Note: the difference between climate at 2000 and that of the last Ice Age was only 6°C). 18

  19. For rainfall we could see significant summer decreases(changes are against a 1961-1990 average) Reduced stream flow and water quality Increased drought Subsidence Decreased crop yields Serious water stress 2020s - 8% 2050s - 20% 2080s - 24% South West England central estimate Medium emissions For the 2080s the change is very unlikely to be lower than -50% and very unlikely to be higher than +6% 19

  20. For rainfall we could see significant winter increases(changes are against a 1961-1990 average) Increased winter flooding Increased subsidence Risks to urban drainage Severe Transport disruption Risks of national Infrastructure 2020s + 7% 2050s + 17% 2080s + 23% South West central estimate Medium Emissions For the 2080s the change is very unlikely to be lower than +6% and very unlikely to be higher than +54% 20

  21. Recent extreme event: Heat wave of Summer 2003 Source: Peter Stott, Hadley Centre 3.5 35,000 excess deaths EU wide 2,140 excess deaths in the UK 282 in the South West region Forest fires and crop damage seriously impacted economy EU Economic losses > £7.5bn England (3-14/8/03) excess mortality: All ages: 2091, >75: 1781 Emergency hospital admissions (>75)1490

  22. “Gloucestershire’s biggest ever peacetime emergency” Gloucestershire received one and a half times the average July monthly rainfall in one day Tewkesbury 22 July 2007 Mythe Water Treatment Works, Tewkesbury - water supply for 350,000 people cut off for 17 days (July 2007)

  23. Key impacts in the South West region Tourism : Sea level rise will affect location & management of tourism business. Tourism development will need to be managed to ensure increased visitor numbers do not negatively impact on the region’s resources Agriculture: move to drought, pest & disease resistant crops Biodiversity: The SW Regional Biodiversity Action Plan and the SW Nature Map have identified the vulnerable habitats and adaptation opportunities, and they are embodied in the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy Business & Utilities: Both will be influenced by climate change, design of utilities must incorporate the effects of climate-change on supply, demand and headroom Housing & Construction: Designed for warmer, wetter climate & increased storminess

  24. Conclusion • Climate Change team has wide-ranging role • Partnership working is key – with different council departments, businesses and the community • Wiltshire Council has set ambitious carbon reduction targets for itself and in its community leadership role • Environmental groups like Agenda 21 have key role to play on both adaptation and carbon reduction

  25. Any questions?

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