LGA demands Whitehall support over climate change
Author: Nick Appleyard, The MJ |
Council leaders have called for support to help Britain weather the risks posed by climate change at local level.
Responding to the Government’s climate change risk assessment ? published yesterday ? the Local Government Association (LGA) underlined the threat posed by hotter summers and more frequent extreme weather events.
Cllr David Parsons, chairman of the LGA’s environment board, said: ‘Resilience is a shared responsibility, and action needs to be taken across the public sector as well as by utility and infrastructure providers to ensure that climate risks are managed.’
But Cllr Parsons stressed that councils would need support from the Government and the national adaptation programme to continue to assess local risks and take necessary action to protect areas most at risk.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs compiled the risk assessment following extensive research in order to steer future policies at national and local level.
It suggests hotter summers will present significant health risks, increasing pressure on water resources and drought. The risk of flooding is also likely to increase significantly across the UK. Environment secretary Caroline Spelman said: ‘The climate change risk assessment will be vital in helping us to understand what we need to do to stop these threats becoming a reality.
In doing so there is also great potential for growth through UK firms developing innovative products and services tailored to meet the global climate challenges.’