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Workstream 8: Adaptation and resilience
In liaison with existing forward planning groups, proposals are being developed to guide professionals in increasing building and environmental resilience and biodiversity in the face of higher temperatures, more extreme weather conditions, flooding, pollution, infestation and future pandemics. Recommendations will be developed in relation to nature-based solutions, development of tighter regulations and other measures.
The workstream is led by Landscape Institute (LI) and includes measurable deliverables divided into three priority groupings: short-term, medium term and long term.
What have participants achieved so far?
Workstream 8’s continuing focus is on knowledge discovery and sharing, making sense of the body of work on adaptation and resilience, which has already been done, spotting gaps in information and identifying opportunities for further research. In all this we look to highlight activity and evidence which is most practical and useful to members of supporting professional institutions. In this way, we can usefully seek to establish a baseline of awareness, knowledge and understanding.
Webinars
Workstream 8 have produced a series of free hour long webinars on the topics of water management, extreme heat and biodiversity health.
As part of our scoping for workstream 8, we have asked the question ‘what are built environment professionals looking for, in order to help them become better equipped to address adaptation and resilience issues?’ Three basic requirements:
- Basic knowledge and awareness of climate resilience opportunities especially in the context of nature-based solutions and biodiversity
- Sign posting! What’s out there? Where to access information and expertise?
- Metrics for resilience
Adaptation and resilience are both massive topics in their own right with existing, dedicated and well-documented knowledge and resources for both the built environment and infrastructure sectors.
Alongside buildings and infrastructure and inspired by the most urgent adaptation risks, as set out by the Committee on Climate Change[1], we have extended the focus of workstream 8 to include biodiversity loss and gain, water availability (drought and flooding), and increased urban heat.
Biodiversity Loss and Gain: This includes risks to natural capital including wildlife, habitats, soils, coastal, marine and freshwater eco-systems.
Water Availability: Risks to people, communities, and buildings from flooding. Risks to the viability of coastal communities from rising sea levels. Risks of deficits in public water supplies and for agriculture, energy generation and industry, with impacts on freshwater ecology. Risks to food production and trade.
Increased Urban Heat: Risks to human health and wellbeing, homes and buildings from high temperatures and urban heat island effects. Risks to health and social care delivery from extreme weather.
Through the collaboration of experts from both the built and natural environments, workstream 8 will also consider how nature-based solutions and ecosystem services provide solutions for adaptation and measures for resilience against the multiple effects of the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
[1] https://www.theccc.org.uk/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-adaptation-policy/
Next steps
1. Continue to monitor, identify and commend latest intelligence - articles, information and publications - through the lens of adaptation and resilience. Create greater awareness of the existing body of work, help spot knowledge gaps and explore new ideas.
2. Create a dedicated LinkedIn page for workstream 8. We invite all those with a professional interest in adaptation and resilience to join the discourse. Do please visit https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12921814/ and sign up.
3. Collaborate with professional institutions and others to consider applications, metrics and models which can make a useful contribution to the adaptation and resilience work of built and natural environment professionals.
Resource Library
- Biodiversity Net Gain: delay welcomed, but details, resources and training for planning teams still needed
Article from the Royal Town Planning Institute with supporting survey findings on skills and staffing shortages within local planning authorities: https://www.rtpi.org.uk/news/2023/september/biodiversity-net-gain-delay-welcomed-but-details-resources-and-training-for-planning-teams-still-needed/
- Making SuDS mandatory – some dos and don'ts
Wales made it compulsory to build sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) into new developments four years ago. As England prepares to follow suit next year, what can it learn from the neighbours? Blog by Ian Titherington published by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (June 2023).
https://www.ciwem.org/news/making-suds-mandatory-some-dos-and-donts
- 5 things the UK’s new climate adaptation plan means for infrastructure resilience
This blog from the Institution of Civil Engineers reviews the Government’s third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), (published in July 2023) and expresses concerns about the slow rate of progress.
- Climate change adaptation
This blog from the Institution of Civil Engineers reviews the Government’s third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), (published in July 2023) and expresses concerns about the slow rate of progress.
https://ukgbc.org/our-work/climate-change-adaptation/