East Midlands Regional Assembly

Climate Change

The East Midlands Regional Assembly recognises climate change as a key priority for the region. We are acutely aware that it will profoundly influence environmental, social and economic conditions in the East Midlands and are very keen to ensure appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures are implemented.

We recognise that there are appropriate actions that need to be taken at the global, national, regional, sub regional and local levels and that to achieve success we need to work together in partnership.

EMRA, GOEM and emda have commissioned a short video on Climate Change and its effect on the East Midlands.

The scientific community and UK Government believe that Climate Change is occurring as human activity leads to an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These are gases which insulate the Earth and keep heat in the atmosphere that would otherwise radiate out into space.

Within the next few decades in the UK and the East Midlands, Climate Change will increasingly cause hotter drier summers, and warmer wetter winters, with more extreme events (storms and floods). This will have a very large impact on the way everyone goes about their daily lives. The Regional Assembly recognises that Climate Change is not just a problem for the environment, or for people who earn their living from the environment, but instead that Climate Change will have an impact on our economy, and our society.

These are some ways that it is thought Climate Change will directly affect the East Midlands Region:

The East Midlands has some of the highest quality agricultural land in the country, but a lot of it is low lying and will be increasingly susceptible to flooding or sea ingress
Our buildings may function badly in a warmer or colder climate and some may be susceptible to flooding or subsidence
Businesses may be subject to higher costs due to water shortages and insurance costs
Some wildlife species may be lost in our region, and we already suffer low biodiversity

The Regional Assembly brings together partners from local government and the business, community and voluntary sectors. We recognise that we are well placed to take on the cross cutting issue of climate change at the regional level and are committed to working in partnership with GOEM and emda.

The Regional Assembly aims to integrate climate change issues throughout its work and is committed to showcasing examples of good practice and success stories.

A Climate Change Steering Group to help achieve this across the region has been established through the Promoting Sustainable Development Group. This Group has held a successful sustainable design competition for design teams across the region and has also made a commitment to lead a further programme of training to support Local Authorities to engage fully in the goals of the Nottingham Declaration.

The Regional Assembly is responsible for producing the Regional Spatial Strategy. This document takes the challenge of climate change very seriously. It addresses the need to reduce our emissions, through challenging targets for renewable energy, a drive towards zero carbon development and reducing the need to travel. It also addresses the adaptation that will be essential as we increasingly see the changes our past behaviour has caused. It includes policies on sustainable construction, reducing the risk of damage to life and property from flooding, and maintaining water quality and resources through the location of development.

Climate change is a cross cutting challenge highlighted in the Integrated Regional Strategy Framework – the framework within which the regional strategies are developed. The East Midlands Integrated Toolkit helps to ensure that all new policies and strategies are climate change proofed.

The Regional Assembly is currently engaging with partners to develop a Regional Climate Change Programme for Action and sees this as an essential and important step forward.

As the regional strategic partnership, the Regional Assembly recognises its leadership role in encouraging full buy in to the declaration and taking action that will help to combat climate change. The Regional Assembly has pledged its full support to the Nottingham Declaration.