The UK is set to be amongst the best prepared nations for the implications of climate change following publication of a groundbreaking study into the threats the country faces.

The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) highlights the top 100 challenges to the UK and our economy of a changing climate and provides the most compelling evidence yet of the need to increase our resilience. The research confirms the UK as a world-leader in understanding climate risk to ensure we can make robust plans to deal with these threats.

In order to provide a reliable baseline for decisions by Government, local authorities and businesses the research does not take into account any future policies or plans. However, a Government report published alongside the CCRA does highlight the many current and future policies already in place and gives details of plans which will address some of the risks identified.

The Government has also announced a National Adaptation Programme that will prepare the UK for the effects of climate change, including the risks set out in the CCRA. People are encouraged to give their views through a new website on the action needed to tackle the implications of climate change where they live and work.

Speaking at the launch of the CCRA, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:

“This world class research provides the most comprehensive case yet on why we need to take action to adapt the UK and our economy to the impacts of climate change. It shows what life could be like if we stopped our preparations now, and the consequences such a decision would mean for our economic stability.

“The Climate Change Risk Assessment will be vital in helping us to understand what we need to do to stop these threats becoming a reality. In doing so there is also great potential for growth through UK firms developing innovative products and services tailored to meet the global climate challenges.”

Professor Sir Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser at Defra, said:

“The CCRA is ground-breaking research which puts the UK at the forefront of understanding what the projected changes to our climate will really mean for us.

“For the first time it means we can compare a wide range of risks based on their financial, social and environmental implications. This will be invaluable for Government in prioritising the areas for future policies and investment, and it will help businesses assess what they need to do to ensure they are resilient to the changing climate.”

Lord John Krebs, Chair of the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change, said:

“Without an effective plan to prepare for the risks from climate change the country may sleepwalk into disaster. This report represents an important first step in the process and demonstrates why the UK needs to take action to adapt now. The work of my Committee has found that by taking steps to manage these risks, the UK can reduce the costs of climate change in the future.

“The Government’s forthcoming adaptation programme should tackle barriers to adaptation so that local communities, businesses and households can take action to prepare.”

Among the key risks the CCRA identifies, in the unlikely event the UK took no further action, are:

• Hotter summers present significant health risks. The CCRA projects that without measures to reduce the risk, there could be between 580-5,900 additional premature deaths per year by the 2050s. The Department for Health launched a Heatwave Plan in 2004 and update it annually to provide advice and support for people vulnerable to hotter weather.

• Increasing pressure on the UK’s water resources. The CCRA projects that without action to improve water resources, there could be major supply shortages by the 2050s in parts of the north, south and east of England with the greatest challenge in the Thames River basin. Defra published a Water White Paper last year which includes a package of measures to address water supply shortages, and to ensure the water industry is more resilient to future challenges.

• The risks of flooding are projected to increase significantly across the UK. New analysis for England and Wales show that if no further plans were made to adapt to changing flood risks, by the 2080s due the effects of climate change and population growth annual damages to buildings and property could reach between £2.1billion – £12billion, compared to current costs of £1.2billion. Defra has introduced a new method of allocating funding for flood defences so that more communities will benefit from flood protection, and the Department is working with the ABI to ensure that flood insurance remains widely available after the current agreement between Government and insurers expires in 2013. As part of these discussions, Defra is considering whether there are feasible, value for money ways of targeting funding support to those at highest flood risk and less able to pay.

• The number of days in an average year when temperatures rise above 26 degrees C is projected to rise from 18 days to between 27-121 days in London by the 2080s. This could mean greater demand for energy to cool buildings and more heat related illnesses.

• Increases in drought and some pest and diseases could reduce timber yields and quality. Projected drought conditions could mean a drop in timber yields of between 10% and 25% by the 2080s in the south east, driving up timber costs. Pests and diseases, which thrive in warmer conditions, may also pose an increasing threat, such as red band needle blight – which causes loss of foliage and can lead to tree death. Defra has published a Tree and Plant Health Action Plan and committed £7million to further research into plant diseases.

The CCRA also highlights opportunities for the UK that climate change could present, including:

• Opening of Arctic shipping routes. The melting of Arctic sea ice could lead to the opening up of new container shipping routes and improved trade links with Asia and the Pacific.

• Milder winters may result in a major reduction in cold-related deaths and illnesses. Currently, cold weather results in between 26,000 and 57,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. By the 2050s, a reduction in these figures of between 3,900 and 24,000 is projected to occur due to increasing average winter temperatures. This would particularly benefit vulnerable groups, including those with existing health problems.

• Opportunities to improve sustainable food production. Sugar beet yields are projected to increase by 20-70% and wheat yields by 40-140% by the 2050s due to longer growing seasons if water and nutrients remain available. A warmer climate presents opportunities to grow new crops such as soya, sunflowers, peaches, apricots and grapes, while new markets may open up overseas for British grown produce.

The CCRA evidence will be used to develop a National Adaptation Programme (NAP) that will set out timescales for the actions Government will take to meet the challenges of climate change.

The development of the NAP starts today and Caroline Spelman has called on the public to give their views on what the priorities areas for action should be. These views will help shape the final NAP, which will be published in 2013.

Mrs Spelman continued:

“Climate change is a global phenomenon, but its impacts will be felt at a local level and affect people differently depending on where they live. That is why I want people to give us their views to help develop a National Adaption Programme that puts us in the best shape possible to meet climate change head on.”

From a press release on the DEFRA website

The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), and the complementary Government report, can be viewed here.

The National Adaptation Programme website can be found at http://engage.defra.gov.uk/nap

The Environment Agency is calling on Newhaven, Seaford and Lewes residents to take part in an innovative project that will identify the best ways of adapting to the long term threats of coastal climate change.

As part of the Coastal Communities 2150 (CC2150) project, the Environment Agency is calling for community representatives including residents, businesses and local authorities, to get involved in setting up a group to plan ahead and decide how best to tackle these issues.

The coast around South East England is changing. With this in mind, the European funded CC2150 project aims to help communities get better prepared for the future effects of rising sea levels, increased flood risk and sinking land levels.

The Environment Agency will be hosting an open information evening for all those interested in getting involved at the Hillcrest Community Centre in Newhaven on Monday 16 January between 6pm and 8pm.

Together with the Environment Agency, the group will share views and influence how we can all best prepare for climate change along our coastline. New ways of adapting to these risks can provide new opportunities to build a better future for all.

By 2150, it is estimated that around 3,000 properties within Newhaven, Seaford and Lewes will be at risk of river and coastal flooding. We need to ensure future development does not compromise our ability to manage increasing flood risk by building homes too close to defences, and that the water quality of our rivers and the environment in general is protected.

John Gower, Environment Agency Project Manager, said: “Decisions taken today will have a significant and lasting impact on our coastline and the communities who will live and work along it in 2150, just as Victorian decision making has influenced how we manage our coastline today.

“The existing flood defence structures in these East Sussex communities are ageing. This will eventually have an impact on services such as rail and road networks, and will mean the electricity substation and properties are at greater risk of flooding. This means communities need to plan ahead now for how they will contribute to managing their flood risk and their local environment in the future.

“That’s why I urge everyone with an interest in safeguarding the future of these East Sussex towns to get involved and have their say on how we all can shape the future of these communities for generations to come.”

For further information on CC2150 or to register your interest in being part of the group, contact John Gower, CC2150 Project Manager, by email at: john.gower@environment-agency.gov.uk or visit the website at: www.cc2150.eu

Over five million people in England and Wales are at risk from flooding from rivers and the sea. Those in flood risk areas should sign up to the Environment Agency’s free flood warning system – the most immediate and localised source of information on flooding – by calling 0845 9881188 or visiting www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
1. Coastal communities across Europe face the prospect of significant change as rising sea levels and higher storms surges increase the risk of coastal erosion, flooding and salinisation.

2. CC2150 is a three year €2.9 million European communications project part-funded by the European 2 Seas programme between the Environment Agency, Kent County Council, Hampshire County Council in the UK, and Alterra in the Netherlands, and the Province of West-Flanders and Agency for MCS – Coastal Division in Belgium. Its aim is to develop community centred communications to enable communities to actively engage in long term coastal change adaptation strategies.

3. CC2150 is supported by the following funders:

- INTERREG 2 SEAS programme: Cross border cooperation programme
- In the UK: Defra; Environment Agency; Kent County Council; Hampshire County Council; Natural England.

From a press rlease on the Environment Agency website.

With new online maps communities along the South Downs coast between Beachy Head and Selsey Bill can see how coastal erosion could affect their coastline in future.

Two pilot maps, for the South Downs and Northumberland, were published today by the Environment Agency. The maps were developed in conjunction with local councils and provide information for the public on how coastal erosion could affect where they live for the next 20 years. The maps also show how the coast is being managed and any defences that are in place.

Although few households are at risk from coastal erosion, its consequences can be serious. Better information on coastal erosion will help coastal communities to make more informed decisions about development and adapting to a changing coastline.

The information for the maps was developed in a partnership project between local authorities, the Environment Agency and Government. It provides the latest erosion information to help local authorities, planners and developers plan investment on the coast. The online maps enable the public to access this information.

The Environment Agency will gather feedback on how it might improve or add to the information provided in the pilot maps before publishing maps for the rest of England and Wales in 2012.

Environment Minister, Richard Benyon said: “Coastal erosion is a natural process and while we can’t defend every single section of cliff or beach, there are some practical steps that will help people plan ahead and adapt for the future. Making this information available now will help communities and councils decide what action they need to take to adapt to coastal erosion.

“Over the next four years we’ll be spending at least £2.1 billion on tackling erosion and flooding, and we’ve made reforms to give people more say in how this money is spent locally to defend our coastline in the most sensible and robust way.”

Environment Agency chairman, Lord Chris Smith, said that it is important people living and working on the coast understand how their coastlines could change in the future, and that local authorities had access to the best available information.

“It is part of the Environment Agency’s role to help coastal communities make informed decisions about how best to manage the coast and plan development,” he said.

“The latest climate change impact data has been used to ensure the information is the best available on the risks of coastal erosion.”

Bryan Curtis, Chairman of the South East Coastal Group, said: “Adur and Worthing Councils are pleased to have been a part of this project and pilot scheme.”

Plans are already in place to manage and adapt to coastal erosion in England and Wales. Local authorities and the Environment Agency have produced Shoreline Management Plans that set out long term policies about how to manage the risk of coastal erosion.

The new maps complement these technical documents by providing this information in an easy to use format.

The first two pilot maps are available on the Environment Agency website here: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

From a press release on the Environment Agnecy website

And we will shortly be setting out proposals, unconnected to this legislation, to make sure coastal communities can benefit from the development of the Crown Estate marine activities.

More flood and coastal erosion defence projects across England will receive government money each year under a new funding system announced today.

The new system provides money based on the benefits each project delivers to homes, businesses, agricultural land and infrastructure. Many schemes will still receive full Government funding, whilst others will qualify for a contribution to the final cost.  In many cases this government contribution will be worth 80 to 90 per cent of the full scheme cost.

This will replace the current model where schemes applying for money are typically either funded in full by Government or not at all.

Payment rates from Government will be highest in areas most at risk from flooding and in the most deprived areas of the country, meaning that schemes in these areas are more likely to qualify for full funding.  Environmental benefits achieved by schemes will also help boost the amount of funding the scheme receives.

Under the new scheme each area will have a lot more influence over which projects go ahead because decisions will be made at a local level by regional committees who can better decide where government funding is most needed.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said:

“This new funding system means more flood defence schemes will benefit from Government money so we can protect more people and properties. Many schemes in areas at high risk will continue to receive full funding from government, whilst others will receive large contributions that will go a long way towards meeting the amount needed for the defence to be built.

“Where additional contributions are needed, we will be working in partnership with local communities to find ways of securing private investment from those who will benefit from the added protection. This will mean that local communities have a much greater say in how and where schemes are built and are no longer hampered in their ambitions by what Government alone can afford.”

Where schemes do not qualify for full Government funding, the Environment Agency will work in partnership with local communities and other interested parties to lower costs or secure additional sources of private funding, such as from businesses or developers who stand to benefit from the additional protection a flood defence will bring.

For the first time, funding will also be available for surface water management schemes and property level protection as well as traditional flood and coastal erosion defences.

Schemes already under construction are not affected by these changes.

The first National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy has also been laid before Parliament today.  Subject to parliamentary approval it will be formally adopted later this year.  The strategy takes forward a number of recommendations made by Sir Michael Pitt in his review of the 2007 floods.  These include giving the Environment Agency a strategic overview role of all sources of flood risk and formalising the roles and responsibilities for Government, local authorities, emergency services and community groups.

Read more on the DEFRA website

The national strategy will provide a legally binding framework in setting out how communities, the public sector and other organisations will work together to manage flood and coastal erosion risk. The national strategy describes:

• The Environment Agency’s strategic overview role for all sources of flood risk and coastal erosion, and the approach they will take to managing the risk of flooding from main rivers and the sea;
• The framework within which lead local flood authorities can work with other risk management authorities to manage local flood risk in their areas;
• The work by coastal erosion risk management authorities to manage our changing coastlines, and;
• How national funding and resources will be targeted towards flood and coastal erosion risk management activity in the coming years.

Copies of the national strategy and guidance on co-operation and requesting information are available to Members of the House from the Official Documents website and the Vote Office.

This Government are committed to making sure that as many communities as possible have the opportunity of benefiting from flood and coastal defences. I am therefore pleased to inform the House that following full public consultation earlier this year, my Department is today setting out a new partnership approach to funding flood and coastal resilience. The new approach aims to be both fairer and more transparent than the system it replaces, and offers the potential for much more to be achieved.

Instead of meeting the full costs of just a limited number of projects, the new approach could make Government money available towards any worthwhile scheme. Funding levels for each scheme will relate directly to the number of households protected, the value of damages being prevented, plus the other benefits a scheme would deliver. For the first time grants for surface water management and property-level protection will be available alongside funding for other risks and approaches. The reforms will not affect the amount of money that the Government themselves will invest in the coming years.

The new approach encourages better value for taxpayers’ money and greater local and private contributions to come forward, in recognition of the benefits being delivered. Choices can be taken locally on whether, and how, contributions might be found. All funds invested in this way will supplement national budgets and mean more communities can be protected. By encouraging greater local choice, and more local investment, we will ensure that local ambitions for protection are not dictated by what Government alone can afford. The new approach reflects suggestions made by Sir Michael Pitt, who recommended Government introduce a scheme that allows and encourages greater local investment.

I have today written to the chair of the Environment Agency to ask this approach be adopted for all future funding approvals. The coming months will be treated as a transitional period allowing lessons to be learned and the approach to be refined before final arrangements are confirmed in time to apply from April 2013.

Finally, I would like to inform the House that summaries of responses to the following consultations and other supporting documents are also being published today:

“Consultation on a National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England”.

“Consultation on Statutory Guidance on Co-operation and Requesting Information in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management”.

“Future funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management: Consultation on the future Capital Grant-In-Aid Allocation Process in England”.

“Consultation on Guidance to Lead Local Flood Authorities on their Contribution to Sustainable Development”.

Residents who live in 12 properties on Cliff Road say their properties are threatened because of cliff erosion. They have submitted a planning application for a protection scheme to East Devon District Council.

The residents have funded the £10,000 application themselves which is for a 240-metre long, 4.5-metre high rock revetment at the base of the cliffs near Pennington Point at the mouth of the River Sid.

The scheme could cost around £900,000 of public money.

Residents say their homes could fall over the cliff face within 15 years if action is not taken soon.

They say the erosion was accelerated from around 2002 after the installation of rock groynes along the seafront in 1995.

Resident, Peter Hand, 71, said: “In the last 10 years the cliffs have eroded more than they have in the last 100 years. We’ve been campaigning for over a decade for something to be done about the rate of erosion.

“When the rock groynes were put in, the current in the bay changed. The shingle, that used to move back and forwards, gets taken away by the tides and doesn’t replenish.

“As a result, the waves began to hit the cliffs at the eastern end of Sidmouth far more.

“When I first moved here, a footpath ran along the cliff tops at the bottom of our gardens, but that has now disappeared.

“We’re worried about who will be liable if someone is killed on the beach below because it’s our land not the council’s anymore.”

Paul Griew, 63, said residents were also concerned the cliff erosion at the mouth of the river may mean the town and sewage works become flooded.

He said: “We’re probably doing the council’s work for them, but if this is what it takes to kick start the process then so be it. In 2007 the cliffs were eroding at about two metres a year and by 2009 it was an average of three – four metres a year. One resident lost 10 metres of his garden in 2002 alone.

“And I’ve lost 15 metres in the last two years.

“There is a real and immediate risk to our homes – if it continues like this at the current rate we’ll have to leave our homes in 15 years.

“And one of the country’s busiest footpaths, which is used by around 250,000 people a year, will disappear.

“This could have a disastrous affect on tourism and the economy of Sidmouth.

An East Devon District Council spokesman said: “Until recently, coastal protection policy did not allow for this section of coastline to be considered for the kind of works proposed in this application.

“Now an area to the east of the River Sid is part of a ‘unit’ in the latest version of the national Shoreline Management Plan. This unit is earmarked for ‘managed realignment’. This could mean a scheme of some description might be possible here, but it will be subject to many checks and balances before it could go ahead.

“There is a tension between coastal protection and allowing natural processes of erosion, and there are strong lobbies for both approaches.

“Any scheme will have to pass the scrutiny of Natural England and the Environment Agency.”

Story in the Exeter Express & Echo

Coastal areas of the UK may be severely affected by climate change in the future. Some are already experiencing extreme storms or floods and the effects of sea level rise and coastal erosion. Climate change will pose risks and challenges for people, coastal economies and local industry. It may also affect access to, and quality of, basic goods and services.

The study:

• explores the vulnerability to climate change of communities in disadvantaged coastal areas of the UK;
• combines four case studies with a literature review and analysis of likely impacts, interviews and a workshop; and
• provides recommendations for improving their resilience to climate change as part of national and local adaptation responses.

Key points

• Coastal areas are vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels and wave heights and accelerated coastal erosion – especially communities relying on the immediate coastal area for their residence, communications and economic and social activities.
• Many are also vulnerable to climate change because of socio-economic issues such as high proportions of older residents and transient populations, low employment levels and high seasonality of work, physical isolation and poor transport links.
• There was a lack of understanding in disadvantaged coastal communities of the range of possible climate change impacts they face and how to respond appropriately. They were more concerned about pressing day-to-day issues such as their income or employment. Residents who had experienced severe events (storms, flooding) had greater awareness of climate change.
• Actions needed for coastal communities to adapt to climate change include:
  − improved communication of risks and impacts;
  - more adaptive local and national institutions;
  − ensuring that new development and infrastructure planning takes climate change into account to avoid putting more people at risk;
  - increasing capacity to prepare for climate risks and recover from specific events;
  - developing better targeted support for those most vulnerable.
• The new localism agenda puts an onus on communities and local areas to lead on tackling issues affecting them. But the study found that disadvantaged coastal communities and their local authorities may not be well equipped to do so without considerable support, including funding, from central government.

The research By Mary Zsamboky, Amalia Fernandez-Bilbao, David Smith, Jasper Knight and James Allan of Scott Wilson.

Find out more about the report

DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed over a report on plans to manage the coastline between Seaford and Newhaven after the scheme was deemed a ‘low priority’.

The failure to mention the tourism potential and amenity value of Seaford beach was also of concern to town councillors who discussed the document by the Environment Agency (EA).

The Agency recently reviewed a proposal which sets out how flood and erosion will be managed for the next 100 years on the River Ouse – from the A27 road bridge to Newhaven, and the coastline between Newhaven and Seaford.

The Agency predicts that – if no defences are created – then by 2111 up to 1,500 homes will be at risk of flooding and coastal erosion.

The draft Ouse to Seaford Head Coastal Defence Strategy is an update of a report produced in 2006.

Councillor Bob Brown added, “There’s no mention here of tourism as an opportunity at all, nothing encouraging more visitors.

“I think we have some issues to address here.”

The EA has been meeting regularly with representatives from Seaford Town Council and Seaford Community Partnership and this issue will be discussed further at a meeting of the three organisation’s next week.

Jim Skinner, chairman of the Friend of Tide Mills and a member of the Seaford Seafront Theme Group, highlighted that the report mentions the scheme was a low priority in the overall UK wide floodscheme and therefore funding may not be fully available.

The EA added that it would be seeking financial contributions from private organisations in the local area to help secure funds.

Mr Skinner added, “I would also request that there should be a request to record in the plan that the EA will in the future continue to directly involve itself with the local community in at least attempting to develop jointly a better and more self-sustaining management strategy.

“This is important, particularly given the undoubted increasingly unstable and degrading integrity of the beach, which with rising sea levels as accepted by the EA, will have to be built ever higher and therefore steeper if the EA continues with the existing strategy which this document currently recommends.”

The committee will pass its comments on to the EA, including how its expects the beach and town to be protected against the sea as a high priority.

Joe Giacomelli, a spokesman for the Environment Agency, said, “A final decision on the allocation of any monies to Regional Flood Defence Committees will be made in February by the Environment Agency’s Board.

“And decisions on the programmes of schemes to be delivered next year will be made by the regional committees in April.

“Where there are investment choices to be made, we continue to make decisions based on risk to people and property.

“Schemes under construction will continue to be funded and completed.

“Those newly-proposed schemes which provide protection to the most households in relation to their cost, representing the best economic value and protect our environment, are funded ahead of others.

“This ensures that we deliver flood and coastal protection in line with Government expectations that we will provide better protection to 145,000 households over the spending review period.

“Because the overall Flood Defence Grant in Aid allocation is lower this year and a lot of schemes are under construction, this inevitably has an impact on the number of new schemes that are likely to be funded in the year ahead.”

The draft plans are available for comment until Tuesday, February 15, from the EA webpage, www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ousetoseaford

Story in the Eastbourne Herald