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Transcript of CLARA - A guide for business advisors
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8/13/2019 CLARA - A guide for business advisors
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Climate Ready
CLARA: Climate AdaptationResource for Business Advisors
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8/13/2019 CLARA - A guide for business advisors
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Introduction 1
CLARA: Climate Adaptation Resource for Business Advisors 2
Making the business case 4
Business impacts of a changing climate 6
Supporting SMEs 10
Mainstreaming adaptation 14
CLARA resources 16
Contents
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Adapting to the changing climate therefore presents a
particular challenge to the small business community.
CLARA is aimed at those people and organisations that
have a professional relationship with or are trustedadvisors to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Originally developed by UKCIP, CLARA has been updated
and incorporated into the Environment Agencys Climate
Ready Support Service.
Introduction
The changing climate could have many implications for small
businesses, but busy managers of small businesses often
find it difficult to plan for a future climate that seems
so uncertain and far off.
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CLARA: Climate Adaptation Resourcefor Business Advisors
CLARA was originally developed by UKCIP. Since
then, the Environment Agency has taken on the role
of the governments support service on climate change
adaptation. A subset of the UKCIP tools have been
updated and transferred to the Environment Agencyto form part of Climate Readys advice and guidance.
This includes this 2013 version of CLARA.
CLARA does not cover issues relating to measuring or
reducing carbon footprints or improving energy efficiency.
BackgroundMany SMEs have not considered the impacts of the
changing climate on their operations and are reluctant to
pick up and use tools without support. They often require
additional information and support before they can takeactions to adapt or make an informed decision to do
nothing more at present.
There is a large existing business support community with
experience in providing high quality advice to SMEs in the
language they understand. Climate change impacts and
adaptation is, however, a relatively unfamiliar subject to
this community with few programmes that explicitlytackle this subject.
This resource aims to help business advisors incorporate
adaptation into existing programmes. This approach
is favoured because busy managers of SMEs often
have preferred sources of advice and may be wary of
new information from an unknown source. It was also
consistent with the Department for Business, Innovation
& Skills Business Support Simplification Programme,
which sought to streamline the existing amount of
publicly funded business support schemes.
The design and structure of the resource is based on
feedback from the business support community.
This resource is primarily aimed at helping business advisors to
support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in understanding
and preparing for the impacts of the changing climate.
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Climate changeThe changing climate in the UK may bring:
hotter, possibly drier summers
milder, wetter winters
more extreme weather events
less frequent cold snaps
rising sea levels
Over the next few decades some changes are
unavoidable due to historic influences on the climate.
The risk of further changes to the climate can be limitedby reducing global emissions of greenhouses to the
atmosphere. Adaptation to the changing climate means
taking steps towards understanding and preparing for the
impacts these changes will bring.
This guidance will help business advisors provide useful
advice and accurate information to SMEs on climate
change impacts and adaptation.
SMEs are a broad audience, so this resource is
designed to be flexible, accessible and concise with
links to more in-depth information where required.
It covers some of the key concepts as well as providing
delivery materials and a range of factsheets that canbe given directly to businesses.
For further enquires relating to climate change impacts and
adaptation for business, please contact the Climate Ready
Helpdeskwww.environment-agency.gov.uk/138603.aspx.
Introduction to adaptationFor an SME, the changing climate usually brings to
mind the need to improve energy efficiency and reduce
emissions. This sort of activity often referred to as
mitigation tackles the causes of climate change andis often driven by resource efficiency considerations,
customer requirements or government policy.
Adaptation is another response to the changing climate.
In order to adapt an SME will need to respond to the
potential consequences that the physical impacts of
climate change will have on their operations
or strategic objectives.
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1Pearson, G. and Woodman, P. (2012), Planning for the Worst. The 2012 Business Continuity Management Survey March 2012.
Chartered Management Institutewww.managers.org.uk/sites/default/files/u28/4354BCMreport2012v3.pdf
This trend is likely to continue as our climate continues
to change. Preparing for the impacts of the changing
climate can have direct and immediate business
benefits. However, many SMEs are still sceptical
about whether climate change is happening at all.The section below on raising awarenessprovides
advice on introducing adaptation into discussions
of core business issues. There is also advice below
on dealing with climate change sceptics.
Why prepare for something that mightnot happen?We know that the climate is changing and we know
the direction of change. But there are still uncertainties
relating to the rate and extent of these changes.
More importantly, a business can never know preciselyhow these changes will translate into consequences
and how various adaptation measures will perform.
A risk-based approach allows you to make changes
when it is most likely to be worthwhile. Risk is the
combination of the likelihood of occurrence and
the magnitude of the consequence.
Preparing for catastrophic events can be costly, which
can be viewed as money wasted if the worst doesnt
happen. Therefore, building resilience to high likelihood,
low magnitude risks may be a preferred strategy for SMEs.
Another way of making sure a business benefits
regardless of uncertainties is to look for win-win
situations, for example, focusing on weather impacts
that have already been experienced. More examples
of win-win situations can be found below under
business impacts of a changing climate.
Making the business case
According to the Chartered Management Institutes 2012
Business Continuity Management survey,149% of managers
report that severe weather caused disruption to their
organisation over the last year, making it the leading cause
of business disruption for the third year running.
http://www.managers.org.uk/sites/default/files/u28/4354BCMreport2012v3.pdfhttp://www.managers.org.uk/sites/default/files/u28/4354BCMreport2012v3.pdf -
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Why take a planned approach?Some adaptation is possible without long lead times,
but you should be aware of the following issues.
There are difficulties in recognising the climate
change signal.
Climate is defined as the average weather experienced
over a long period (usually 30 years), whereas weather
(what we actually experience) is by its nature very
variable. It is tempting to wait for changes to take effect
and respond to them as they happen; however, a passive
approach is likely to put each successive extremeweather event down to natural variability, without the
organisational memory to pick up on the long-term trend.
The fact that it may be more cost-effective to make
changes now is unlikely to be detected solely on the
basis of past experience.
There are lag times and arrangements that need to be
made between detecting the change, deciding what to
do and then implementing that decision.
Efficient adaptation requires the right institutional and
organisational conditions, known as adaptive capacity,
to be in place. For example, information may be neededto figure out the best way to adapt, policies, plans or
procedures may need to be re-written, and roles and
responsibilities to be assigned. All of this requires a
certain amount of forward planning.
Retrofitting can be significantly more costly
than allowing for change in line with natural
replacement cycles.
Maintenance programmes, new buildings or the
replacement of old equipment present opportunities to
take account of the future climate even if no impacts arecurrently being felt. The associated costs are likely to
be less in the long term than waiting for the weather to
become a problem, when changes could be awkward,
disruptive and less effective.
Short timescales versus long-term phenomenaMany SMEs are not adapted to current climate, so there
could be immediate benefits to building resilience to
weather. Moreover, many adaptation measures will
also contribute to other unrelated business priorities
(seeexamples of win-wins). Therefore considering
weather and climate can be beneficial to those with
short planning horizons.
I have other priorities!There will be many things more important to an SME than
the potential impacts of the changing climate, but it isnot possible to reach this conclusion without at least a
superficial assessment of the climate risk. There may also
be some interactions between climate and non-climate
risks that are not immediately obvious, such as climate
change influencing raw material prices.
A quick initial scoping exercise can be undertaken so
that little time is wasted and more time can be spent on
priority impacts if required. These could possibly be dealt
with using existing business functions and procedures in
order to minimise additional effort. Seemainstreaming
adaptationfor more details.
Even for impacts that do not seem particularly
significant, there may be win-winadaptation options
that are worth considering.
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Extreme weather events can cause disruption leading to
loss of business continuity.
They can also affect working conditions and staff
comfort, resulting in health and safety concerns and
loss of productivity. The performance of some industrial
and agricultural processes is dependent on climate or
weather, as are consumer tastes and requirements.
The business case for adaptation can be made in terms of:
avoiding unexpected costs and increasing revenue,
for example, as a result of disruption caused by extreme
weather events, changes in productivity, lost or gained
sales, changes to input prices (for more information
seeimpacts of weather and climate)
making the most of strategic opportunities,
for example, through new market opportunities,process capabilities or first mover advantage
(seestrategic implications)
Strategic implicationsAs well as directly affecting profits, the impacts of the
changing climate may have some strategic implications
for SMEs:
opportunities to grow or diversify arising from new
markets or ways of marketing (for example, shift from
winter to summer oriented products or products and
services that help others deal with the adverse effects
of climate change)
new locations (for example, northwards or away from
urban centres)
recruitment issues arising from migration or new skills
requirements of the new climate
competitive advantage by being the first mover on a
threat (for example, maintaining business continuity
or anticipating regulatory or contractual requirements)
Business impacts of a changing climate
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Impacts Business consequences The bottom line
Excessive internal
temperatures
Server failure Business interruption
Impact on reputation
Drop in productivity Potential lost sales
Impact on future sales
Uncomfortable working conditions Drop in productivity
Increased cooling or
refrigeration required
Increased overheads through higher
energy costs in summer
Potential for regulation on upper
temperature limit
Fine or cost of litigation if requirement
not met
Milder winter temperatures Reduced need for winter heating Lower overheads through reduced
heating costs
Flooding of manufacturing
premises
Loss of access for deliveries
Business interruption
Impact on reputation
Drop in productivity
Potential lost sales
Impact on future sales
Flooding of high street Customers cannot access shops
and services Lost sales
Fewer people go shopping in
stormy weather or heatwaves Fewer customers in high street
shops and services Lost sales
Water shortages Increased water rates
Not water for cooling
Business interruption
Increased raw material costs
Drop in productivity
Potential lost sales
Extreme weather causes
transport disruption
Staff encounter travel difficulties
Customers encounter travel difficulties
Drop in productivity
Lost sales
From impacts of weather and climate to the bottom lineBelow are a few examples to show how the changing climate can directly affect an SMEs bottom line.
The Business Areas Climate Impacts Assessment Tool (BACLIAT see the practical resources pages on
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready) can be used to carry out a simple scoping exercise on
a business or business sector.
Examples of how climate change can affect the bottom line
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready -
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Impacts Business consequences The bottom line
Extreme weather can result
in difficult outdoor working
environment, e.g. for
construction or agriculture
Business disruption
Failure to complete job on time
Impact on reputation
Drop in productivity
Potential lost sales
Impact on future sales
Global changes, such as
increased frequency of
tropical storms will
disrupt international
manufacturing interests
Disruption to supply chain of
key component
Business interruption
Drop in productivity
Potential lost sales
Impacts on agriculture or
extraction activities
Increase in raw material prices Increased raw material costs
Climate becomes better suited to
certain crops Increased productivity
New tastes in clothes, food
and leisure time pursuits in
the new climate
Increased/decreased demand for
certain goods and services
Increase or decrease in sales
Examples of win-winsThe changing climate is unlikely to be the sole factor in
a decision being made by an SME. However, resilience
to the impacts of climate change and weather can be
built while achieving other objectives by looking out
for win-win situations.
An SME carries out business continuity planning.
This will help it prepare for a range of potential
business disruptions, including those causedby extreme weather events, which could increase
in frequency and intensity as the climate continues
to change.
A family farm opens a B&B. As well as providing
additional income, this will exploit the opportunity
presented by potentially more reliable summer weather
and increases in domestic tourism.
An SME improves provision for home working. The main
driver for this is to improve worklife balance but it will
also provide resilience in the event of extreme weather
by reducing the need for staff travel.
A restaurant switches to an English wine for its house
wine. This fits with its reputation for locally sourced
food, though as the climate changes, it may be that
good quality English wines become easier to source.
A business develops and markets energy management
systems in response to the growing demand for
increased energy efficiency. However, good quality
systems could also mean that customers will benefit
from more effective summer cooling as the climate
changes and heatwaves become more frequent.
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Raising the issueAwareness of the need to prepare for the impacts of the
changing climate is currently very low within the small
business community there may be little opportunity
for business advisors to begin making the business
case for adaptation.
Several core business functions are likely to suffer the
impacts of weather and climate so it may be possible to
raise the issue during the types of discussions business
advisors regularly have with SMEs. For example, advice
relating to the choice of new contractors, equipmentor business location should take account of their
vulnerability to climate and weather.
Seemainstreaming adaptationfor more information and
ideas of the types of discussions that consideration of
climate and weather could be incorporated into.
Dealing with climate change scepticsEven where it is not possible to link human activities
to changes in the climate, the changes themselves
can provide the impetus to understand and manage
the impacts.
The benefits of adaptation at an SME are mainly private,
that is, reducing business risks/costs and exploiting new
opportunities rather than benefitting wider society or the
local community. If an SME chooses not to recognise that
the climate is changing then only they are likely to suffer
or miss out on an opportunity.
There is little point getting drawn into
arguments about the scientific evidence when neither
side is an expert. Instead, focus your efforts on workingwith those who do recognise that the climate is changing
whatever the reason.
If you wish to better understand the arguments that maybe put forward by climate sceptics, the following sources
might be useful:
Real Climate
www.realclimate.org
a commentary site on climate science by working
climate scientists for the interested public
and journalists
Skeptical Science
www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php website exploring the arguments of climate change
sceptics contains a useful list of the arguments
commonly used by sceptics
YouTube video How it all ends
www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=mF
_anaVcCXg a US science teacher takes 10 minutes
to explain how taking a risk-based approach to climate
change might just save the planet
Making sense of weather and climate
www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/10/making-sense-of-weather-and-climate
this document, by the charity Sense About Science,
explains some of the misconceptions relating to
predicting weather and climate
Remember that the science does not equate to a business
case, so even those who recognise that the climate is
changing may need further persuading that preparing for
its impacts is worth spending time on.
http://www.realclimate.org/http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.phphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=mF_anaVcCXghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=mF_anaVcCXghttp://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/10/making-sense-of-weather-and-climatehttp://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/10/making-sense-of-weather-and-climatehttp://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/10/making-sense-of-weather-and-climatehttp://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/10/making-sense-of-weather-and-climatehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=mF_anaVcCXghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=mF_anaVcCXghttp://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.phphttp://www.realclimate.org/ -
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SMEs make a large contribution to the UK economy and play
a key role in promoting flexibility and innovation aspects
that are likely to be important in coping with the consequences
of a changing climate.
But smaller businesses could also be more vulnerable
to the impacts of the changing climate than larger
organisations as they have fewer resources to prepare
and respond. The impact of a single severe weather event
could also be consequential for smaller businesses.
This section provides some information and resources
to help you with awareness raising initiatives or provision
of advice to SMEs on preparing for the impacts of climate
and weather.
Which SMEs to targetgives some advice on choosing
where to target your support.
Find out if there are any other relevant initiatives
in your area (regional initiatives).
An overview ofkey messagesfor working with
SMEs.
Which SMEs to targetVirtually all businesses will feel the impacts of the
changing climate in some way, so will benefit from
advice on adaptation. However, not all businesses are
equally vulnerable to climate change. Similarly, differentareas of the UK rely on different business sectors for
their economic prosperity. In some cases the benefits of
adaptation at an SME will be felt more widely than just
within the business.
It is up to the strategic priorities of business support
organisations to decide which SMEs to target. However,
as a guide, focusing on the following is likely to achieve
the most benefit.
Sectors whose products, services or processes areweather dependent
These include anything that relies on the natural
environment or outdoor activity such as agriculture,
high street shopping, tourism and leisure. The sales of
certain products are linked to the weather, such as some
food and clothing. Similarly, demand for some services
such as cleaning, building, insurance or consultancy
may be linked to the weather or climate. Some industrial
processes and equipment are temperature sensitive;
IT server rooms, waste management and printing
technologies are just a few examples.
Supporting SMEs
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Companies involved in making decisions withlong-term consequences
Examples include those involved in construction or
large-scale infrastructure projects, farmers of crops
or animals that take a long time to mature, or those
developing new products or services that will take a
long time to get to market. Also, those companies that
are considering relocating or purchasing new equipment
may want to consider the climate that these new
arrangements will need to function in.
Companies that are already affected by extreme weatherBuilding resilience to extreme weather events can
create benefits even in the absence of climate change.
This is particularly true where the business has already
been affected by a recent event, such as flooding, a
heatwave, subsidence or stormy weather. The frequency
and intensity of these types of events may increase
as the climate changes, so there is a strong argument
for adaptation.
Companies that are in a position to provide adaptation
solutions to society or increase the resilience of the
local communitySome adaptation measures are public goods in that they
will have benefits beyond the party who pays for them.
The private sector will have a role to play in providing
these as well as delivering the products and services
that the public sector will require to create a resilient
society. Flood defences, improved drainage, cooling and
ventilation technologies, safe and comfortable public
transport and urban design are all examples where SMEs
could contribute.
Sectors highlighted as strategically important tothe locality
These include regional economic strategies or data on the
relative contribution of different sectors to productivity
and employment in the area. Focusing on SMEs in these
key sectors will increase the benefit to the regional or
local economy.
Raising awarenessThere is evidence to suggest that awareness of this
issue is currently very low. SMEs in particular rarely
link the threat of climate change to impacts on their
own operations or business priorities. Making a strong
business case is therefore extremely important in any
awareness-raising initiatives.
Experience of working with business has shown that, for
companies to begin to see climate change impacts and
adaptation as an important issue, they first need a good
grounding on what is meant by adaptation, how it differsfrom mitigation, and why it is important.
An interactive workshop usingBACLIATcan be effective in
encouraging people to think about the business impacts
of the changing climate. More details about BACLIAT
and how to run a BACLIAT workshop can be found on the
Climate Ready website
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready
Thekey messagessummarised below may also be useful.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready -
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Business awareness and adviceA study3published by AXA Insurance in 2006 on climate
change effects and SMEs found that:
70% of businesses in high risk areas are not concerned
about flooding
although 85% of small businesses thought that
climate change was a serious problem for the world,
only 26% thought it to be a real and serious threat
to their business
69% do not have a practical contingency plan
Climate South Easts SME director due diligence study4
in 2007 found that:
54% of respondents had been affected by at least
one extreme weather event in the past two years
most did not associate weather events with
climate change
climate change was a low priority
The Chartered Management Institutes 2007 Business
Continuity Management survey reported that:
73% of managers stated that business continuity
management is important in their organisation
small organisations are less likely to have a specific
business continuity plan 66% of those from small
organisations said they had no plan
since 2006, those affected by extreme weather
events had risen from 9% to 28%
BACLIATBACLIAT is a resource to help scope the impacts of the
changing climate on a business or sector. The aim of the
BACLIAT exercise in this context is to generate as long a
list as possible of potential impacts. For more information
on running a workshop, see the BACLIAT resource found
on the Climate Ready website
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready
After the exercise, it may be necessary to:
Delete duplicates.
Put to one side suggestions that do not describe
impacts but are features of the business (or sector)
that make it more or less vulnerable. For example:
Our industry has long planning horizons so will
be affected by climate change or Our company is
completely dependent on a single supplier so it would
be disastrous if they were disrupted.
Rephrase some of the impacts so that they are all in the
same format and include the climate variable and the
business consequence.
Re-categorise the impacts into headings that make
more sense to the particular sector.
The key priority impacts that require a response can then
be selected from this long list. Deciding on a response will
require consideration of all alternatives and then making
a judgement on which is the most appropriate based on
the business objectives.
For an overview of climate change impacts and adaptionfor business, see A Changing Climate for Business.
3Crichton, D. (2006), Climate Change and its Effects on Small Businesses, AXA Insurance PLC,
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdf(910KB).
4Norrington, N. and Underwood, K. (2008), Climate Change and Small Businesses: How directors are responding to the challenges of climate change,
report prepared by Step Ahead Research Ltd for Climate South East,
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC_and_Small_Businesses.pdf(560KB).
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC_and_Small_Businesses.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC_and_Small_Businesses.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdfhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready -
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Climate vulnerability assessmentA site visit to an SME can be used to carry out a climate
vulnerability assessment. This will only be a superficial
overview but may be the starting point for a business to
begin managing the climate risk.
Step 2 of the Adaptation Wizard can help you complete
a high level climate vulnerability assessment.
The assessment should cover:
background to the company including site details,processes, suppliers, products, services and customers
an overview of vulnerability to current weather and
aspects that provide resilience
a list of potential threats and opportunities of future
climate change
Follow-up support may be required to help the company
decide which potential threats or opportunities to pursue
and to develop an appropriate adaptation response.
Seedelivering advicefor further details.
Delivering adviceAdaptation to climate change essentially involves
making decisions (whether to adapt, when to adapt
and how to adapt). Therefore, the type of process
appropriate will depend on the decision-making culture
of the company. At SMEs this is often (but not always)
based on ad hoc methods and informal structures.
Efforts should be made tomainstream adaptation
into existing decision-making processes.
Consideration of any recent extreme weather events and
their impacts can be a powerful starting point beforegoing on to think about the future.
You may wish to carry out a climate impacts audit for the
business or, if you are able to get a group of managers
together, run a climate impacts workshop to begin
scoping the potential impacts of climate change at a
business or sector. Information on how to run a BACLIAT
workshop may be useful.
The Adaptation Wizard found on the Climate Ready
websitewww.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready
is a tool to help organisations, projects or strategiesadapt to climate change. It aims to be accessible yet
comprehensive showing the five steps required for
effective adaptation. The level at which each step is
engaged in will depend on finding a balance between
working within existing governance and organisational
structures (so as not to waste valuable time), and
adequately covering all significant areas of climate risk,
some of which may require new ways of thinking.
Not an easy task! The list ofCLARA resourceswill help.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready -
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Some of these are listed below. Where they exist, they
represent an opportunity for mainstreaming adaptation.
Risk management, business continuity planning,
disaster recovery or crisis managementThe risk of extreme weather events could already be dealt
with by risk management, business continuity planning,
disaster recovery or crisis management in which case all
that may be required is to revisit the level of risk assigned
or the priority allocated in light of the changing climate.
For example, has adequate consideration been given to
extreme weather events that there is no history of but
for which the risk is increasing? Note also that often the
focus is operational so that more strategic threats and
opportunities such as those arising from gradual changes
or the impact of climate change on lifestyles, skills andmarkets may need additional thought.
ContractsHow are contracts used to share risk between suppliers,
contractors and customers? Is there scope for explicit
mention of weather and climate related problems?
How does this affect relationships and reputations?
In some cases strategic partnering, strategic sourcing
or sharing information may be more effective adaptation
measures than adding extra clauses to contracts.
Health and safety arrangementsIssues include high temperatures in the office or other
considerations related to potentially uncomfortable or
dangerous working conditions, particularly for those
working outside. Existing Health and Safety (H&S)policy, risk assessments, responsibilities and reporting
mechanisms can be used.
Quality managementThere may be implications for the quality of the product
or service, for example, temperature sensitive products
could fail or stormy weather could hinder efforts to
keep to construction deadlines. Adaptation is not
strictly speaking an environmental concern since it is
concerned with the climates impact on the business
rather than the businesss impact on the climate.However, it may be possible to use existing mechanisms
for ensuring a consistent and high quality product or
service such as testing, reporting, production procedures
and customer feedback.
There are a number of business functions and management
systems that already attempt to deal with issues that have
similarities to the likely consequences of weather and climate.
Mainstreaming adaptation
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Environmental managementAlthough few SMEs have environmental managers,
environmental management systems or other standards
or accreditations are increasingly being used. There
may be implications for the impact that a business has
on the environment, for example, increased odour from
production in hotter summers.
Business planning or strategic planningWhere there is some formal planning it is unlikely that
the planning horizons are consistent with the timescales
involved in climate change. However, these processes canbe used by either reconsidering timescales in light of the
changing climate, focusing on building resilience to the
weather, or an adaptive management approach.
Useful resources include:
Business in the Communitys report, Mitigation,
Adaptation and Resilience Linking Messages on
Climate Change.
AEAs report for Climate South East, Linking Business
Advice on Adaptation and Sustainability.
Key messagesThe specific characteristics and needs of SMEs inform
the way in which climate-related information and
support can be made most useful for them. For example,
smaller businesses could be more vulnerable than
larger organisations because they have fewer resources
to help them prepare and respond. But SMEs can also
be more flexible and able to respond more rapidly to
changing conditions.
Key lessons from working with SMEs and with those that
advise them are as follows.
The upsides are more engaging.SME leaders are often entrepreneurial and are more
likely to be engaged by messages that also emphasise
the opportunities from the changing climate. Of course,
it is still important to communicate the risks.
Where planning horizons are short, focus on resilience
to current weather.
Most businesses are focused on short planning
horizons and climate change can seem remote. But
many SMEs are not prepared for the risks of the current
climate, so that means there is a business benefit toadaptation in the short term.
Key risks often relate to markets and supply chains.
Being small in terms of their own premises and
workforce, many SMEs may be more exposed to climate
risks through their markets and supply chains, which
can be UK wide or international. Of course, the impacts
of local climate or weather events will still be important.
An informal approach might be appropriate.
SME leaders may be less likely to use structured
decision-making processes than those in largercompanies, or to need to justify their actions and
decisions to shareholders, and so on. It will be
important to integrate climate and weather risks
into this ad hoc decision-making.
Integrate with core business concerns.
Although both mitigation of the causes of the changing
climate and adaptation to its consequences are critical
business issues, bundling adaptation messages with
mitigation usually causes confusion. It is more useful
to integrate adaptation issues with similar businessareas such as business continuity planning, risk
management, health and safety arrangements, and
flood plans. It may be less helpful to treat it as an
aspect of environmental management.
Look for where benefits are more certain.
It is difficult for a small business to spend time or money
preparing for something that may or may not happen.
Therefore approaches that focus on high likelihood
weather events might be the most appropriate, even
where these have smaller magnitudes.
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BACLIAT workshop
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready
Adaptation Wizard
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready
Climate impacts audit template
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/BACLIAT_assessment_template.doc
Key messagesfor working with SMEs based on
experiences of UKCIP and strategic partners
UKCIP review for Oxfordshire County Council:
-Part 1: SMEs Vulnerability and resilience toextreme weather
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/UKCIP_SME_resilience_extremeweather.pdf(1.1MB)
-Part 2: Engaging SMEs via accountants
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdf(3MB)
Factsheets
Climate change, flood risk & preparing your business
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/Flooding-factsheet.pdf(450KB)
Climate change, heatwaves & preparing your business
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/Heatwaves-factsheet.pdf(70KB)
Climate change & business opportunities
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/Opportunities_171110.pdf(90KB)
Climate change adaptation and offices
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC-adaptation-offices-factsheet.pdf(90KB)
CLARA resources
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BACLIAT_assessment_template.dochttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BACLIAT_assessment_template.dochttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP_SME_resilience_extremeweather.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP_SME_resilience_extremeweather.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Flooding-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Flooding-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Heatwaves-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Heatwaves-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Opportunities_171110.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Opportunities_171110.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC-adaptation-offices-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC-adaptation-offices-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC-adaptation-offices-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/CC-adaptation-offices-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Opportunities_171110.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Opportunities_171110.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Heatwaves-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Heatwaves-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Flooding-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Flooding-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP_SME_resilience_extremeweather.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP_SME_resilience_extremeweather.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BACLIAT_assessment_template.dochttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BACLIAT_assessment_template.dochttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climatereadyhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/climateready -
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Other useful publications
AXA Insurance report: Climate Change and its
Effects on Small Businesses in the UK
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/AXAClimateChange.pdf(910KB)
AXA Insurance: Preparing for Climate Change:
A practical guide for small business
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs
/axa-preparing-for-climate-change.pdf(220KB)
Business in the Community: Mitigation, Adaptation
and Resilience Linking Messages on Climate Change
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/BITC_Business_Messages_CC.pdf(1.3MB)
Climate South East: Successful SME Engagement with
Climate Change: How to replicate the Oxfordshire
Roadshow www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content
/CLARA/SME_engagement_CC.pdf(1.3MB)
Climate North East: reports by Public Knowledge on
business attitudes to the impacts of climate change:
-Phase One: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/ClimateNE_Phase1_Report.pdf(1MB)
-Phase Two: Face-Face Depth Interviews
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/ClimateNE_Phase2_Report.pdf(300KB)
Defra web page: Advice for Businesses
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/business
or go to GOV.UK
www.gov.uk/government/topics/climate-change
Environment Agency online guide: Flood Preparation
Guide for Business
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business
/topics/32354.aspx
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
web pages on flooding
www.sepa.org.uk/flooding.aspx
UKCIP: A Changing Climate for Businesswww.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs
/UKCIP_Business.pdf(2.5MB)
West Midlands Climate Change Adaptation Partnership:
Weathering the Storm: Saving and Making Money
in a Changing Climate. A practical guide for small
businesses in the West Midlands
www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources
/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and
+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835
Regional initiativesSME adaptation initiatives in your locality
ClimateUK
www.climateuk.net links to websites with details
of publications, events and other initiatives across
a range of sectors
The Princes Mayday Network
www.maydaynetwork.com run by Business in
the Community, offers the Mayday Journey
www.maydaynetwork.com/journey a free tool thatcalculates a businesss impact on the environment
and provides strategies for reducing this impact
Business Resilience Healthcheck
www.climate-em.org.uk/resources/item/business
-resilience-healthcheck/ developed by Business in
the Community North East to help make businesses
make changes to become more resilient to the risks
it will face both now, and in the future
South East
Support to Small Business production of case
study and project template for opportunities approach
to small business support. For more information go to
Climate South Easts Business and Economy web page
www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/case
/category_page/C5/
Linking business advice on adaptation and sustainability
raising awareness of the links between resource
efficiency, carbon reduction, business continuity and
climate resilience. For more information contact Climate
South Easts Business and Economy Group
www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php
/working_groups/
http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/axa-preparing-for-climate-change.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/axa-preparing-for-climate-change.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BITC_Business_Messages_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BITC_Business_Messages_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/SME_engagement_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/SME_engagement_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase1_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase1_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase2_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase2_Report.pdfhttp://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/businesshttp://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/businesshttp://www.gov.uk/government/topics/climate-changehttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/32354.aspxhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/32354.aspxhttp://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding.aspxhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/UKCIP_Business.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/UKCIP_Business.pdfhttp://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.climateuk.net/http://www.maydaynetwork.com/http://www.maydaynetwork.com/journeyhttp://www.climate-em.org.uk/resources/item/business-resilience-healthcheck/http://www.climate-em.org.uk/resources/item/business-resilience-healthcheck/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/case/category_page/C5/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/case/category_page/C5/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/case/category_page/C5/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/case/category_page/C5/http://www.climate-em.org.uk/resources/item/business-resilience-healthcheck/http://www.climate-em.org.uk/resources/item/business-resilience-healthcheck/http://www.maydaynetwork.com/journeyhttp://www.maydaynetwork.com/http://www.climateuk.net/http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/UKCIP_Business.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/UKCIP_Business.pdfhttp://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding.aspxhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/32354.aspxhttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/32354.aspxhttp://www.gov.uk/government/topics/climate-changehttp://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/businesshttp://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/businesshttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase2_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase2_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase1_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/ClimateNE_Phase1_Report.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/SME_engagement_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/SME_engagement_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BITC_Business_Messages_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/BITC_Business_Messages_CC.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/axa-preparing-for-climate-change.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/axa-preparing-for-climate-change.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/AXAClimateChange.pdf -
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ClimatePreparedwww.climateprepared.com development of an
interactive web-based tool for tourism businesses in
the south-east and south-west. For more information
contact Climate South Easts Tourism Group
www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php
/working_groups/
Would your Business Stay Afloat? business flood
risk advice in Kent
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/Kent_business_flood_risk_leaflet.pdf(250KB)
Supporting SMEs on adaptation via accountants
UKCIP managed a project, funded by Oxfordshire
County Council, to enable accountants to provide
advice on building resilience to weather and climate
change to their clients.
- Part 2: Engaging SMEs via accountants
www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA
/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdf(3MB)
Scotland
Adaption Scotland
www.adaptionscotland.org.uk liaising with business
support organisations and industry representatives
ongoing engagement of business stakeholders
including the Business Environment Partnership,
Scottish Council, Scottish Council for Development
and Industry and the Scottish Whisky Association
South West
ClimatePrepared
www.climateprepared.com development of
interactive web-based tool for tourism businesses
in the south-east and south-west. For more
information contact ClimateSouthWest
http://climatesouthwest.org
North West Business support business advice on
adaptation using climate change risk diagnostic.
For more information contact Enworks
www.enworks.com
Sefton Council web page Business Savings in
a Changing Climate
www.investsefton.com/climatechange
North East
ClimateNE Business Hub
www.climatenortheast.com/managecontent.aspx
?object.id=15554 website specially designed to bring
practical information and support on climate change to
businesses in the north-east
West Midlands
Weathering the Storm Saving and Making money
in a Changing Climate: A practical guide for small
businesses in the West Midlands
www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and
+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835
Organisations supporting SMEs on moregeneral topics
GOV.UK
www.gov.uk/government/topics/business
-and-enterprise
Scottish Enterprisewww.scottish-enterprise.com
Federation of Small Businesses
www.fsb.org.uk
http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Kent_business_flood_risk_leaflet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Kent_business_flood_risk_leaflet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.adaptionscotland.org.uk/http://www.climateprepared.com/http://climatesouthwest.org/http://www.enworks.com/http://www.investsefton.com/climatechangehttp://www.climatenortheast.com/managecontent.aspx?object.id=15554http://www.climatenortheast.com/managecontent.aspx?object.id=15554http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.gov.uk/government/topics/business-and-enterprisehttp://www.gov.uk/government/topics/business-and-enterprisehttp://www.scottish-enterprise.com/http://www.fsb.org.uk/http://www.fsb.org.uk/http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/http://www.gov.uk/government/topics/business-and-enterprisehttp://www.gov.uk/government/topics/business-and-enterprisehttp://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/reports/?/Weathering+the+Storm+-+saving+and+making+money+in+a+changing+climate+/1835http://www.climatenortheast.com/managecontent.aspx?object.id=15554http://www.climatenortheast.com/managecontent.aspx?object.id=15554http://www.investsefton.com/climatechangehttp://www.enworks.com/http://climatesouthwest.org/http://www.climateprepared.com/http://www.adaptionscotland.org.uk/http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/UKCIP-Report-SMEs-Accountants.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Kent_business_flood_risk_leaflet.pdfhttp://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/CLARA/Kent_business_flood_risk_leaflet.pdfhttp://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/http://www.climatesoutheast.org.uk/index.php/working_groups/ -
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Would you like to find out more about us,or about your environment?
Then call us on03708 506 506(Mon-Fri 8-6)
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