Climate adaptation
Climate change is here. Beyond doing everything we can to cut emissions and slow the pace of global warming, we must adapt to climate consequences so we can protect ourselves and our communities. The fallout varies depending on where you live. It might mean fires or floods, droughts, hotter or colder days or sea-level rise.
Adaptation and resilience
Whilst the main focus of this plan is to reduce our negative environmental impact and help to avoid the worst effects of climate change, the fact remains that the world is currently experiencing changing conditions with projections that by the end of the 21st century, all areas of the UK are projected to be warmer, more so in summer than in winter. By 2070 summers are generally expected to be drier than at present, whilst winters are projected to be wetter, but the intensity of summer rainfall events will increase, which could make flood events more frequent and more severe.
Current rates of biodiversity loss are catastrophic for human life, so linking with the local Nature Recovery Strategy is imperative for food and energy security, reduced pollution and related.
It is therefore prudent, to ensure long term viability of our estate and operational policies at home and internationally, that we increase our resilience to the present and predictable consequences of climate change.
University actions
- Regular review of our design guides to ensure that environmental requirements are considered during the acquisition, design, development and refurbishment of our estate
- Develop a building fabric design guide that seeks to minimise embedded carbon within construction and to build to withstand predicted changing weather patterns
- Regular review of campus facilities and health and wellbeing activities such as access to shade and drinking water
- New planting on our sites looking at the effects of climate change and regularly monitored for drought tolerance purposes
- Risk assessments and adaptation decisions should use these new projections.