http://www.climate-em.org.uk/ Climate East Midlands News en alex.hopkinson@emcouncils.gov.uk Copyright 2010 2010-04-26T10:00:08+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/regional-adaptation-network-launched/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/regional-adaptation-network-launched/#When:10:00:08Z Climate East Midlands has launched a Regional Adaptation Network to enhance information-sharing amongst partners and stakeholders. It’s free to join and open to all! Climate East Midlands has launched a new regional adaptation network to enhance information-sharing amongst partners and stakeholders. To help partners prepare for inevitable climate change, the network will focus on increasing our understanding of the risks and opportunities that climate change may bring, and on sharing examples of good practice adaptive actions. To achieve this, we would like to engage the network in two-way communication. We are keen to hear about the impacts from severe weather you’ve experienced, the risks you face from climate change, and the steps you’re taking to increase your resilience to climate change. The network will provide a consistent and straight-forward way to share and access information on the wide range of studies on climate change impacts and vulnerability that have been carried out in the East Midlands and nationally. The network is open to all and is free to join. Members will receive occasional email updates on adaptation-related activity in the region, including notification of up-coming events. Click here to join the network – it’s free and open to all. For further information, please contact: Alex Hopkinson, Regional Adaptation Advisor. Email: alex.hopkinson@emcouncils.gov.uk Tel: 07530 329 680   2010-04-26T10:00:08+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/peak-power-project-results-published/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/peak-power-project-results-published/#When:08:49:10Z Last week, Friends of the Peak District launched the results of their project “Peak Power: Developing micro hydro power in the Peak District”, at the historic Cromford Mill in Derbyshire. The project has taken three years to complete and involved surveying and analysing over 150 river sites. They identified 80 sites that could be developed as sources of local hydro power in the future. "To offset the impact of climate change we must get much more of our energy supplies from renewable technologies powered by water, wind and sun. However, renewable technology must not dominate or ruin the landscapes they are helping to save – so small scale technologies are the most suitable in our national parks. There is also relatively low demand for energy here in rural communities without major industry. Micro hydro power fits the bill perfectly in the Peak District, where there is plenty of rain and fast flowing rivers running down from the hills. We also have a rich legacy of water power. We spent three years surveying and analysing over 150 river sites which were mainly old watermills that had fallen into disrepair. We found eighty that could be developed as sources of local hydro power in the future. Read the results in our Peak Power report." (Extract from the Friends of the Peak District website.) Download the Peak Power reports here. 2010-04-21T08:49:10+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/new-edition-of-the-wrapper/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/new-edition-of-the-wrapper/#When:08:29:04Z The latest edition of The Wrapper, our quarterly newsletter, has been published. Download it here! Inside this issue: Carbon Reduction Commitment People on the front line UK Climate Projections in the East Midlands Northants raises the standard! More leadership training for Members Climate EM online at last! Endquote: Andrew Kenworthy, Chief Executive of NHS Nottingham City Download the latest edition of The Wrapper here 2010-04-08T08:29:04+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/economic-success-depends-on-nature/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/economic-success-depends-on-nature/#When:12:34:18Z Long Eau Washlands in Manby and Bleaklow Moor in Derbyshire are central to a major report published by Natural England Long Eau Washlands in Manby and Bleaklow Moor in Derbyshire are central to a major report published by Natural England, showing that investment in the natural environment is critical to long term economic prosperity and that natural services provide a highly cost effective solution to growing problems like flood and coastal defence, carbon emissions and the preservation of soil, water and air quality. No Charge? Valuing the Natural Environment, pulls together leading research to show that the economic value of nature now runs to billions of pounds in the UK alone, and that there are major savings to be made through looking after it. Download the report from: www.naturalengland.org.uk 2010-04-02T12:34:18+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/east-midlands-carbon-management-programme/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/east-midlands-carbon-management-programme/#When:22:16:39Z Nine local authorities in the East Midlands and a fire authority have completed a programme that could help them reduce their carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes a year and cut their annual energy bills by £2million or more. Despite the tight timetable, 9 local authorities in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire (and Leicestershire Fire Authority) have successfully completed the East Midlands Carbon Management Programme, supported by the Carbon Trust. A review meeting will be held on 23 February, and it is expected that there will be an invitation to the remaining districts and fire authorities (in Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire) to participate in a further phase of the programme.  EM IEP funding has been approved for this.  Next steps will be to consider how to embed and support activity to ensure that plans are implemented. The authorities that have participated in the scheme are Blaby District Council; Boston Borough Council; Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council; Leicester Fire and Rescue Authority; North Kesteven District Council; North West Leicestershire District Council; Oadby & Wigston Borough Council; South Holland District Council; South Kesteven District Council and West Lindsey District Council. Representatives from each council have attended a series of workshops where they have shared best ‘low carbon’ practice and ideas for improving energy efficiency with other neighbouring authorities. Each authority has received specialist support from a dedicated Carbon Trust consultant to help them set their carbon reduction targets and design a cost effective action plan to meet them. 2010-01-17T22:16:39+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/historic-environment-and-climate-change-workshop/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/historic-environment-and-climate-change-workshop/#When:20:12:09Z Over 70 stakeholders came together on 10 July 2009 at Nottingham’s Ice Centre to consider the effects of climate change on the region’s historic buildings, landscapes, parks, gardens and other treasures (Lincolnshire alone has 33,000 historic assets). This Defra funded project was a joint enterprise between the Regional Heritage Forum and °Climate East Midlands. Several participants complained about the heat in the room, but all that sweat generated a great deal of rich material thanks to expert facilitation and was carefully captured by organisers, the Council for British Archaeology. The outputs from the event are being used to inform other regions, English Heritage, Defra, national guidance to local authorities and an ongoing dialogue in the East Midlands. During the workshop, delegates looked at scoping the range of climate change impacts on the historic environment. The matrix of impacts had been developed to include detailed comments and contributions from participants. Joint regional priorities for leadership on climate change and the historic environment - based on the workshop findings - were provisionally agreed by the East Midlands Heritage Forum: Access for owners, their agents and contractors to advice and guidance on the management of historic assets in new climatic conditions A robust, shared and simple methodology for the assessment and registering of risk to heritage assets from new climatic conditions, and from proposals for adaptation and mitigation Guidance for policy makers to ensure regional and local plans address vulnerabilities and opportunities of the historic environment [eg on NI188, the wealth of case studies from the workshop, and on issues to be addressed in a further workshop] Making a clear case, widely accepted, for the positive contribution that utilizing and reusing historic assets can make in adapting to climate change and reducing carbon emissions A summary report of the event and next steps will be published during the autumn. Further information is available from http://www.britarch.ac.uk/conservation/climate/workshop PowerPoint presentations from the workshop are available for download: Historic environment impacts: what are the emerging risks to heritage assets? Ken Smith, Peak District National Park Authority (PDF | 2.86MB) Climate change projections for the UK: an introduction to UKCP09 Laurie Newton, UKCIP (PDF | 2.58MB) Climate change adaptation policy: its implementation in the East Midlands and opportunities for the historic environment Mike Peverill, Regional climate change coordinator, Climate East Midlands (Regional Climate Change Partnership)(PDF | 926KB) 2009-12-03T20:12:09+00:00 http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/expo-2009-greening-the-economy/ http://www.climate-em.org.uk/news/item/expo-2009-greening-the-economy/#When:22:16:31Z EXPO in the East Midlands is the region’s largest annual sustainable development event.  This year it took place at the Walkers’ Stadium in Leicester on 8th October and the official celebration was led by the Lord Mayor of Leicester. It provided an opportunity to see how we can achieve our vision of a vibrant economy that values all our people and protects and enhances our environment locally and globally. The place was humming with activity from exhibitors and workshops and was well covered in the local press and regional TV. This year EXPO featured the official launch of egocabs, the new ultra-modern style rickshaws now in Leicester. Minister for the East Midlands Phil Hope said: “With only two months to go before crucial climate change negotiations in Copenhagen ‘Greening the Economy’ is rightly a priority for the East Midlands. We need to play our part in reducing global emissions and move towards a low carbon economy, starting now. “The 2008 Climate Change Act made us the first country in the world to set legally binding carbon budgets, aiming to cut UK emissions by 34% by 2020. “We need to encourage those with ingenuity and innovative businesses to take advantage of the competitive and jobs opportunities this presents. We need to nurture the right business environment and give businesses the technology, the skills and infrastructure they need to thrive and grow. “East Midlands Expo 2009 is helping by allowing exhibitors to showcase products and share expertise and by hosting workshops focusing on developing skills in resource efficiency and carbon reduction. “We face unprecedented challenges to our environment, our economy, and the future security of our energy supplies. Greening the Economy is essential, not only to preserve the environment we value so much for future generations to enjoy but also to ensure that we can make a living and continue to pay our way. “ Further information about the day and the exhibitors can be found at http://www.emra.gov.uk/news/events/east-midlands-expo 2009-11-30T22:16:31+00:00