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Tackling climate change in Kent

Alison Cambray, Climate Change Project ManagerCorporate Policy Unit, Kent County Councilwww.kent.gov.uk/climatechangeclimate.change@kent.gov.uk

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Kent’s climateIn Kent we can expect some of the greatest changes in the

UK… Annual / seasonal averages

• Warmer, drier summers (spring, autumn too)• Milder, wetter winters• Rising sea levels• Shifting seasons

Extreme weather events• More very hot days • More intense downpours of rain• Increased flood events• Shorter return periods for high water levels at coast• Changes in storminess, high winds / storm events

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Change between1961-2006

Average temperature has risen at least 1.4C in Kent

Summer rainfallpatterns havechanged

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Tackling climate change in KCC

Mitigation Adaptation

Our estate and operations

Our service delivery

Our leadership role across the county

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Kent Agreement 08-11

Economic theme:

creating a low-carbon and climate change resilient economy

Environmental theme: reducing Kent’s carbon footprint

NI 186 NI 188

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Regional Quintile

1st quintile

2nd quintile

3rd quintile

4th quintile

5th quintile

CO2 Emissions 2005

Domestic Emissions per Capita Industrial/Commercial Emissions per Capita

Road Transport Emissionsper Capita

Emissions per Hectare

© Crown Copyright. All Rights Reserved. OS Licence No 100018986 Source: DEFRS Local and Regional CO2 Emissions Estimates for 2005

Kent’s carbon footprint

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Reducing Kent’s carbon footprint

Industry

Domestic

Public sector

Local transport

Target area to influence by 2011

Motorways

+ end user emissions

RefineriesPower StationsGas ProductionSolid Fuel Production

Large Industrial Processes:ChemicalCementIron and Steel

EU-ETS

Businesses

Voluntary sectorCommunity projects

Kent public sector

Kent businesses & supply chains

Citizen & existing community

retrofitting & behaviour change

Planning, new build

Public transport

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Carbon reduction target for Kent

Based on Defra’s indicative estimates of projected reductions by 2011 Take lowest estimate and greatest range of uncertainty to maximise achievability (as precursor for post-2011 work) No interim or sector-specific targets at this stage

Baseline 7.8 tonnes per capita

Target reduction 11.2%

Uncertainty range +/- 2.5%

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Gas use 05-06

Total Gas Consumption In Areas Of Kent & Medway (Domestic + Industry) 2005-2006

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

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rd

Cante

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y

Dartfo

rd

Dover

Grave

sham

Maid

stone

Seven

oaks

Shepw

ay

Swale

Than

et

Tonb

ridge

and

Mall

ing

Tunb

ridge

Well

s

Med

way

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At home Insulate your home and turn down the heat Switch it off! Use green sources of energy Recycle and compost more, be water aware, be flood aware Contact the Kent Energy Centre for advice (0800 358 6669)

Getting around Drive less, walk/cycle/use public transport more Drive a more efficient car – and drive more efficiently Fly less – and stay longer

At the shops Buy local, seasonal food Avoid disposable and over-packaged goods Look for the labels

Small steps, big difference

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Began with interested local people Provides support to enable communities to:

Baseline their carbon footprint Engage community to change behaviour Look at wider sustainability and adaptation issues Get local organisations, businesses & politicians involved Bid for funds, use of challenge fund

Low carbon communities

Supports innovative approaches Rippling into neighbouring

communities / media coverage Produced practical and

comprehensive toolkit

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Next steps approach Strong support in surveys Scaling up, rippling out Multiple funding sources Proposed Kent-wide challenge fund (carbon-

saving / awareness projects) (tbc) Proposed expert support for drawing up funding

bids and accessing schemes (tbc) Continued toolkit development Broader communications and web portal work

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Adapting to the changing climate

Work is ongoing across Kent to… Understand the short, medium and long-term

impacts that climate change has on services, infrastructure, communities

Take a risk-based approach to prioritising action

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Scoping impacts Is the operation currently affected by weather or

climate (directly / indirectly)? Does the operation involve taking decisions with

long-term consequences (decades) for land-use, built assets or people?

Does the operation involve infrastructure or business areas that are sensitive to changes in weather or climate?

Is the operation vulnerable to disruption of external factors such as utility supplies and transport infrastructure?

Is it critical to the aims and objectives of the operation to maintain continuity of service during extreme weather events?

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Business impacts People: implications for workforce, customers/clients

and changing lifestyles Demand: changing demand for services Premises: impacts on building design, construction,

maintenance (and facilities management) Process: impacts on the processes of service delivery Finance: implications for investment, insurance and

stakeholder reputation Logistics: vulnerability of supply chain, utilities and

transport infrastructure Management implications: how will climate risks and

impacts be managed effectively?

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An LCLIP…

Is a Local Climate Impacts Profile Focuses on extreme weather events (can

combine with longer-term trend data) Uses recent past to assess adaptation to

current and future climate Focuses on vulnerabilities (not scenarios) Establishes meaningful local thresholds

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Kent LCLIPAt least 50 significant extreme weather events since 1997:18 heavy rain / flooding 13 freezing temps / snow3 tornadoes 10 storms / gales2 prolonged droughts 5 severe heatwaves

Estimated costs (still to be validated) so far (excluding Operation Stack) of the order of:~ £440m to the Kent community ~ £25m to KCC in additional direct costs

Drains

Elderly (approx. 130 extra deaths in 2003 heatwave in Kent

Crime Retail

FarmersProperty (Fire & Rescue to 544 floods since 2002 / subsidence)

Grassland fires

Roads (water / heat / closures)

Water supply

Trains

Schools (closed due to floods, heat, snow)

Tourism

Rivers (low flows, toxic algae) Power / phone lines

DiseaseSignificant +/- impacts on services & receptors e.g.

For example, did you know? 75% of all weather events adversely affect the road network 130 extra vulnerable elderly people died in Kent in 2003 heatwave Hot weather increases crime, fires, disease; but benefits leisure, tourism, retail 544 flood events reported 2002-06 in Kent, many not in river or sea flood risk areas

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ConclusionPotential opportunities for your Transition Town initiative:

To contribute to Kent-wide action on climate change and sustainability

To use (and help further develop) the Kent toolkit To bid for funds if and when available To feed into future climate change impacts

monitoring and adaptation work To engage with other Kent-based community

projects (Kent-wide events, web-based tools etc) For further action elsewhere in Kent to learn from

your experience