Study ranks UK cities for their ability to cope with climate change
Researchers ranked 30 cities for their ability to adapt to future weather patterns based on what they are doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as how they are preparing for extreme weather conditions such as flooding or drought.
Publishing their results in the academic journal Climatic Change, the researchers reveal huge variation across the UK, with London and Leicester gaining the highest scores both for adaptation and mitigation, and Wrexham and Derry the lowest.
The 30 cities chosen for the study were those selected as part of the European Urban Audit database and are said to be representative of urban areas across the UK.
Measures in place
London came out on top for its advanced strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change through, for example, energy efficiency and saving, increasing the use of renewables, waste management and the introduction of greener modes of transport. Leicester also scored highly, carrying out rigorous monitoring and providing regular reports on the city’s carbon footprints.
Other cities, such as Newcastle, had advanced electric vehicle infrastructures in place while Sheffield and Coventry have established programmes to produce more energy from waste and reduce landfill.
Almost all cities had set targets for reducing CO2 emissions, although quite a few would not commit to an actual target, figure or timescale. Reduction targets varied from just 10% to 80%. Edinburgh was one of those with a deadline, setting a target of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2020 and to achieve a zero carbon economy by 2050.
In most cities, adaptation policies lagged behind the mitigation plans. With flooding a key threat in many urban areas – both now and in the future – the team showed that many cities were still unprepared to cope with extremes of weather patterns. Although many had flood protection schemes in place, few had assessed whether they were actually effective.
State of readiness
Newcastle University’s Dr Oliver Heidrich who led the research said it highlighted at a glance the “state of readiness” across the country and how prepared we are for the future.
“What this research highlights more than anything is the huge variations in the state of readiness for climate change across the UK,” says Dr Heidrich.
“Although cities of all sizes across the UK acknowledge climate change is a threat, there is considerable spread of measures in place and huge inconsistency in policy between areas and against national and international targets.
“Local Authorities are pivotal to the implementation of global climate policy, so it is essential that we embed adaptation and mitigation strategies within the urban planning framework.”
Read more about it
To see infographic representations of the study's results, follow this link: Climate Change Preparedness of UK Urban Areas
