The Climate Action Matters Survey
Climate refers to the average weather experienced over a long
period, typically 30 years. It has changed many times in response
to natural causes and, in relatively recent times, to human
influence. On average, temperatures have risen by about 0.74°C from
1906 to 2005 across the world, and current thought is that as
little as 2°C global temperature rise will leave coastal
communities such as Suffolk Coastal needing to cope with rising sea
levels (approximately 3mm per year currently), warming sea surface
temperatures, increasing extreme events such as droughts, high
summer temperatures and heavy rainfall.
The current approach to tackling this challenge is to both make
more efficient use of resources to reduce human impact and to make
changes to the way things are done to build our resilience as
organisations, communities and individuals. The UK Climate Change
Act 2008 requires that emissions are reduced by at least 80% by
2050 compared to 1990 levels. It acknowledges the need to
prepare for predicted changes & gives Government the power to
require public authorities and statutory undertakers (including the
utilities) to report on how they have assessed the risks of climate
change to their work, and what they are doing to address these
risks.
In light of this the LSP agreed to part fund a post which included
the development of an online survey in consultation with
key partners to:
- Assess what the organisations and communities in the Suffolk
Coastal Local Strategic Partnership are currently doing to reduce
energy and water consumption
- Assess whether they are preparing for future challenges in the
changing climate
- Establish what support needs there are to increase action
- Enable a rapid development of case studies demonstrating good
practice from within the district to inspire others.
This was developed and piloted through the Suffolk Coastal LSP
in September with the support of the Suffolk Climate Change
Partnership. The responses have been used to develop case studies
(see links below) and shape an
LSP workshop held on the 12 November (New window
PDF 25kb) . The responses have also been used as
a basis for a survey for Countywide roll out.
Please click here for the final report (New window, PDF 653kb)
The following case studies have been produced: