What Wiltshire Council is doing to tackle Climate Change

Ariane Crampton, Head of Climate Change

12 November 2009

Overview

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

Why we have a new climate change team

• Wiltshire residents want us to act - 79% agree that it is important for the Council to take a lead on climate change

• Legislation – Climate Change Act/ Carbon Reduction Commitment

• Policy drivers – Government measures the performance of councils according to use of natural resources and national indicators relating to climate change

• Need to reduce fossil fuel use to reduce bills and improve fuel security

Space and water heating20%

Domestic27%

Lighting, appliances, cooking7%

Transport29%

Business39%

Public Sector4%

Agriculture + other1%

UK carbon emissions

UK carbon emissions

• Climate Change Act commits the UK to a 34% cut in emissions by 2020 and an 80% cut by 2050

• New global Climate Change deal to be agreed in Copenhagen

What is being done about it?

• The UK’s direct emissions of CO2 are 560m tonnes (MtCO2) a year

• 8% are from the public sector• The move to a low carbon economy presents significant

challenges but huge opportunities• Stern Review: “The overall costs and risks of climate

change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year…the estimates of damage could rise to 20%.” “The costs of action…can be limited to 1% of global GDP.”

More context

Wiltshire carbon emissions totals* (kT)

Totals• Total for 2005 – 3,518• Total for 2006 – 3,604

This is broken down into three areas:– Industry and commercial– Domestic– Road Transport

• * Defra - Local and Regional CO2 Emissions Estimates for 2005-6 • Date of release:18/09/2008• http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/index.htm

Wiltshire per capita carbon emissions 2006

• By sector– Industry and commerce 3.2 tonnes– Domestic emissions 2.7 tonnes– Road transport 2.1 tonnes

• All sectors – Wiltshire Average 8.0 tonnes– UK Average 7.4 tonnes

What is the Council doing?

Local Authority Climate Change Activity

LA operational emissionsArea wide emissions

Adaptation to climate change

Buildings (& Schools)

Streetlights

TransportBusiness & Public Sector

Residents

NI 186 NI 188

NI 185

CRC

DECs, EPC

Carbon Trust LACM programme

Carbon Trust Standard (CTS)

EST EA LAA

The council’s carbon emissions

Emissions for 2008-09 (NI 185) were 60,000 tonnes CO2.

Most of this (50,000 t) came from buildings and streetlights.

Wiltshire schools are responsible for 47% of emissions from stationery sources.

Schools

Leisure centres

Offices

Care homes

Other properties

Libraries

Depots

Working with the Carbon Trust to put together a 5 year plan to cut our carbon emissions.

Signing up to 10:10

Currently assessing carbon saving opportunities to be prioritised according to payback time, eg:

• better insulation, boilers and heating controls

• switching off streetlights where residents want this

• combined heat and power plants for leisure centres

• looking at opportunities to reduce staff travel

• staff energy efficiency campaign

Getting our own house in order

??%

Needs high commitment and commercial /risk management skills

Renewable TechnologiesBiomass boilers, WindSolar thermal, GSHP

Organisational realignmentPolicy change, process review

Design & Asset ManagementLow CO2 new buildProperty rationalisationProcurement changes

10%Longer term, larger scale

Invest to SaveInsulation and heat recoveryLighting and controlsCombined heat and power (CHP)Plant / fleet replacement

20%Mature technologies, medium investment

Good HousekeepingMetering and TargetingBehaviour change and trainingRegular inspection & Audit

10%Low cost but requires human resources

Meeting our carbon reduction targets

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Reducing the county’s carbon footprint

• Developing a carbon reduction strategy for Wiltshire with support from the Energy Saving Trust.

• Working with housing, planning, transport planning, economic development, education, youth services, libraries, community development

• Currently assessing how we do things and EST will make recommendations for improvement by January

• Wiltshire Core Strategy and LDF process key

Carbon reduction initiatives

• Greener Living Roadshows• Low carbon retrofit homes demonstration – 5 homes in Wiltshire• Warm Front insulation/boiler replacements• £250,000 bid for a Warm and Well scheme• Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon Green Streets bid £175,000• Urchfont Climate Friendly Community group short-listed for

Green Community Heroes Awards • Transition Community Corsham Green Communities

programme

NI188: Adapting to Climate Change

Aim:• To embed the management of climate risks and opportunities

across the local authority and partner services, plans and estates and to take appropriate adaptive actions as required.

• LAA target linked to reward payment

Latest Climate Change projections (2009)

• Projections are made as part of the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)

• In future, the South West of England is projected to have:• Milder, wetter winters (more floods)• Hotter, drier summers (more droughts)• More extreme weather events (eg storms)

For summer mean temperature, we see significant increases over the decades to the 2080s

(changes are against a 1961-1990 average)

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South-West England central estimate

Medium emissions

Increased Tourism

Increased Heat stress

Infrastructure risks

Risks to biodiversity

Heat related deaths

Risk to Food Security

The change for the 2080s is very unlikely to be less than 2.1ºC and very unlikely to be more than 6.4ºC (Note: the difference between climate at 2000 and that of the last Ice Age was only 6°C).

But the temperature on the hottest day of the year could increase by up to 10ºC Higher than the 2003 heat wave

2020s +1.60C

2050s +2.70C

2080s +3.90C

For rainfall we could see significant summer decreases(changes are against a 1961-1990 average)

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Reduced stream flow and water

quality

Increased drought

Subsidence

Decreased crop yields

Serious water stress

For the 2080s the change is very unlikely to be lower than -50% and very unlikely to be higher than +6%

South West Englandcentral estimate

Medium emissions

2020s - 8%

2050s - 20%

2080s - 24%

For rainfall we could see significant winter increases (changes are against a 1961-1990 average)

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Increased winter flooding

Increased subsidence

Risks to urban drainage

Severe Transport disruption

Risks of national Infrastructure

For the 2080s the change is very unlikely to be lower than +6% and very unlikely to be higher than +54%

South West central estimate

Medium Emissions

2020s + 7%

2050s + 17%

2080s + 23%

Recent extreme event: Heat wave of Summer 2003

Hadley CentreSource: Peter Stott,

3.5

35,000 excess deaths EU wide

2,140 excess deaths in the UK

282 in the South West region

Forest fires and crop damage seriously impacted economy

EU Economic losses > £7.5bnEngland (3-14/8/03) excess mortality:

All ages: 2091, >75: 1781Emergency hospital admissions (>75)1490

“Gloucestershire’s biggest ever peacetime emergency”

Gloucestershire received one and a half times the average July monthly rainfall in one day

Tewkesbury 22 July 2007

Mythe Water Treatment Works, Tewkesbury - water supply for 350,000 people cut off for 17 days (July 2007)

Key impacts in the South West region

Tourism : Sea level rise will affect location & management of tourism business. Tourism development will need to be managed to ensure increased visitor numbers do not negatively impact on the region’s resources

Agriculture: move to drought, pest & disease resistant crops

Biodiversity: The SW Regional Biodiversity Action Plan and the SW Nature Map have identified the vulnerable habitats and adaptation opportunities, and they are embodied in the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy

Business & Utilities: Both will be influenced by climate change, design of utilities must incorporate the effects of climate-change on supply, demand and headroom

Housing & Construction: Designed for warmer, wetter climate & increased storminess

ConclusionClimate Change team has wide-ranging role

Partnership working is key – with different council departments, businesses and the community

Wiltshire Council has set ambitious carbon reduction targets for itself and in its community leadership role

Environmental groups like Agenda 21 have key role to play on both adaptation and carbon reduction

Any questions?