The importance of adaptation
Fire, flood, food insecurity and pestilence as a result of climate change are no longer far-off prospects. From fires in Greece, heat domes in the Pacific North West, floods in Germany and China – once rarer natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. And it’s only going to get worse. Carbon Brief has prepared an explainer on what the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report had to say on extreme weather and climate change.
While reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working toward other mitigations are important (and will be covered in future editions), adaptation must become a central part of local authority climate governance. Local governments are all about making places safe and prosperous, with more extreme weather events in our future this will look different and have costs and consequences as well as opportunities.
This bundle brings together our recent briefings and publications on how councils are responding to and leading the adaptation agenda. And it includes a link to our Global Local Recap edition on adaptation – our international newsletter of inspiration and innovation in local government – which is hosting our COP26 newsletter in the run up to the conference.
Make sure you’re signed up to our Climate action and sustainable development topic to get the COP26 newsletter about once a month this Autumn or the Global Local Recap for an inspiration packed weekly newsletter on a range of topics.
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Global Local Recap and Climate Change Newsletter
The first in our series of joint Global Local Recap and COP26 newsletters – this one focuses on adaptation and includes essential reading and innovation and inspiration from around the world. Read now.
Local government leading adaptation
Weathering the storm: the importance of adaptation and resilience in place-based climate action with local government in the lead. This briefing outlines why and how local government must lead the adaptation debate.
Green infrastructure
Green infrastructure: five innovative ways of creating healthier, greener cities. This briefing outlines the benefits of green infrastructure within cities and, by drawing on five case studies from UK and further afield, will highlight ways in which local governments across Europe are working to create greener urban spaces that benefit the planet and have a positive impact on communities.
Engagement for resilience
Severe weather: building climate resilient communities. This member only briefing outlines the ways that local government can engage more effectively with their communities to adapt to, prepare for and respond to severe weather events.
Small changes, big impact
In Letting the Grass Grow, Falkirk Council’s biodiversity officer Anna Perks explains how land management can improve flood defence while bringing other benefits.
Flood funding
In this blog post, LGIU Chief Operating Officer Andy Johnston outlines the need to find better funding for flood defence and response, but also warns that with the fragmented and diminished funding local government may not be able to play its full part.
Benchmarking urban heat
More people in Australia have died from extreme heat than any other extreme weather conditions in recent years. This member only briefing outlines the work of four municipalities in Sydney, their work in developing highly localised heat maps and discusses the public health implications and mitigation strategies for extreme urban heat.
What works for adaptation?
This 2019 briefing highlights the key lessons from a case study focused report on what climate adaptation works in cities in the UK.
Floodable parks
LGIU staffer Kat McManus looks at the use of floodable parks to manage both coastal and surface water flooding and increase flood resilience.
On the way to COP26 which sees the UK presidency of the ‘Conference of Parties’ on climate change, LGIU will be sharing monthly newsletters across key themes of the conference that support local authorities in addressing climate change, delivering Net Zero and adapting to the current and projected impacts of climate change.
About once a month, we’ll be rounding up essential reading, case studies, guidance and stories from around the world and telling you what it all means for local government when the conference is over (but the crisis isn’t).
And it’s all free. Make sure you’re signed up to our Climate action and sustainable development topic to get it.
Sign up here. Or update your preferences here.
