Adaptation and Resilience Strategy

Adapting to a changing world and being resilient to change

There is no denying that over recent years the world is experiencing an increasing incidence of extreme weather events with devastating effects on communities and the economy. We have witnessed floods from rivers and storm surges, forest fires, droughts, heatwaves, high winds, cold snaps, hurricanes and tornadoes. These pose a significant threat to our health and wellbeing, economy, and property.

 

The Met Office predictions for the West Midlands as with the rest of the UK are that overall we can expect to experience warmer wetter winters and hotter drier summers with a reduction in our water supply overall as our annual rainfall drops.

Farmers across the UK are already changing the way they farm the land and the crops they grow. Who would have thought that 20 years ago the UK would today be competing with France as a significant wine producer. Severe cold spells are still likely to occur but less often. The State of the UK Climate Report indicates a 16% reduction in the number of days where temperatures go below 0 °C in the last decade.

This will have an effect on our fruit crops for instance which require a minimum number of frost days for flowers and later fruit to develop, also frost days significantly help to control pests on our crops. One of our biggest concerns is how the changes in our global and local climate will affect agriculture and food security in the future.

The costs of climate change

A recent assessment commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) indicates that the annual economic costs to the region of these increasingly extreme weather events could rise from £350m to £638m by 2030 and from £1.5bn to £2.9bn by 2050 (Economic Impact Assessment of Climate Change on the Economy of the West Midlands Combined Authority Region, WMCA August 2024).

The WMCA estimated the cost of 3 historic extreme weather events, Storm Doris, dating back to February 2017, the heatwave in July and August 2022 and the flash flooding in August 2023. These incidents resulted in the temporary closure of road and rail connections, disruptions in power supply, damage to property, loss of business, unfortunately, also injury and death, with an estimated price tag in excess of £21m.

Four deaths were reported as a consequence of the storm and the number of reports of injuries to the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) increased threefold during this period in comparison to the regional average.

What does all this mean for Coventry?

Some people are more at risk to the effects of extreme weather events because of where they live and their exposure to adverse conditions. They may live close to a river with a greater risk of flooding. People with pre-existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, particularly in more heavily trafficked areas with great levels of pollution, less green space and poor air quality. Many homes won’t have air conditioning.

Households already living in fuel poverty are unlikely to be able to afford the installation and running costs of cooling systems. Everyone will be vulnerable to food price spikes when supply is affected. This may well result in more people entering into food poverty.  

No matter what we do to reduce carbon emissions in the longer term we are going to face some significant changes to our weather in the coming years. There are 2 key things we have to do to protect ourselves for the future and that is to:

• adapt to the changes
• be more resilient so we are more able to recover quickly should an event occur

There are 2 courses of action which we will have to take. One is to understand the changes we are facing accept that they are happening and to adapt to them. For example when planting new street trees, we need to use species that can cope with higher temperatures and lower water levels especially in the summer months.

Another example is if someone lives in an area where there is a known risk of flooding and is planning on rewiring their house to put practical measures in place such as locating the ground floor electricity cabling plugs and sockets are at a higher level above the possible flood levels, using plaster that contains a waterproofing agent and salt inhibitor and use flotation air bricks to prevent basements from flooding etc.

Here, we are adapting to the changes and by doing so can also become more resilient by preparing, planning  for change and know what to do, when and how to do it. In this instance such measures would make it easier for a family to move back into a house after it has been flooded., so when events happen, we can minimise the damage and recover more easily. 

If we establish ways to give people early warnings about the risk of extreme weather events (e.g., flooding , heat waves, high winds and storms etc) and the times in which they have to respond they are likely to be better prepared when the time comes. Households could develop their own personal plans as a precautionary measure to best protect their family and possessions so that they are more able to adapt and be resilient when the time comes.  

Some of the best examples of resilience can be found in developing countries where whole communities come up with ways to adapt to changes. Communities involved in forward planning are better prepared for an event when it occurs and rally round far more effectively as a community in times of need. Engaged communities have a vital role to play in protecting and minimising damage when faced with extreme weather events.