Climate Change and Resilience
The UK has a target for Net Zero emissions by 2050, and over half of the UK’s local authorities have declared a climate emergency. Towns need to support these national and local ambitions. Towns can help quickly establish plans and support action to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to consider adaptive interventions that can enable resilience in the face of likely climate impacts (e.g. increased flood risk, water scarcity, extreme heat). We are here to support you in understanding how your projects can support these ambitions.
The type of support we can offer includes:
help understand the direct and indirect environmental impact of your project(s)
help articulate the environmental impact successfully in your Business Case
help setting local GHG baselines, reduction pathways and carbon budgets
access and interpret UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) data to give Towns a view of future local climate projections and risks
share case studies of common climate change-related interventions (i.e., initiatives, programmes and projects which act to reduce emissions or enhance resilience) setting out indicative costs, benefits and with supporting case studies and learning points.
access to online seminars, surgeries and direct 1-1 support
Topic Lead: Ben Smith
Ben is a Chartered Environmental Consultant with 18 years’ experience – gained internationally, but predominantly in the UK – specialising in sustainable development, energy strategy, climate change and urban resilience. His work has spanned research, strategy and policy making for cities and local government, as well as masterplanning / planning strategy for developers and landowners. Ben serves as Arup’s global point of contact with C40 Cities and 100 Resilient Cities.
Ben has delivered direct consultancy commissions for over 20 global mega cities, and for a similar number of UK cities and local authorities. He has supported local energy opportunities planning for county or local authorities including; Kent, Yorkshire and Humber, Dover, Swale, Basingstoke and Deane, Harrogate and East Midlands. He is now involved in “climate emergency” response planning working with Bristol, Merton, Thurrock, City of London and Hertfordshire Councils. Prior development planning experience that has included liaison with planning authorities includes; Peterborough Southbank (Carbon Challenge), Upton, Whitehill Bordon EcoTown and North Harlow. Ben was a co-author of the UN scorecard for disaster resilience in cities and has supported the development of urban resilience strategies in London, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow.
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