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Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

…. 4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 There is substantial evidence to show that our climate is changing. Over the past century global temperatures have risen by some 0.7ºC on average. The effects of this can be felt by us all - summer heat waves are occurring more frequently, winters are becoming wetter and we are experiencing more extreme weather events such as floods and storms. Figure 1: Climate…

…; and • Days on which the temperature exceeds 25°C will double. 1.4 Similarly, UKCIP predicts that Blackburn with Darwen is likely to experience: • Wetter, warmer winters, leading to increased flood risk; • Hotter, drier summers, leading to water scarcity and drought; and • More frequent extreme weather events, such as heat waves, gales, storms and intense rainfall. What are the risks…

… to a changing climate cannot be considered in isolation. Climate change needs to be a routine consideration, factored into the Council’s day to day decision making processes rather than a discrete risk to be managed independently. 1.15 It is also important to note that adaptation strategies cannot wholly eliminate the risks arising from extreme weather conditions, but instead aim to bring the risks…

… The UKCIP identified the following extreme weather events were likely to increase in frequency through climate change. These are: • Extreme rainfall • Storms/high winds • Snow/ice • Heat waves 2.3 It was therefore necessary to examine how these events would impact on our services by undertaking a preliminary risk assessment which allowed us to determine the greatest risks climate change…

… temperatures in the borough; and • Reducing the impact of snow/ice. 3.3 The risk assessments also highlighted that raising people’s awareness of the impacts extreme weather events could have on the council’s services is essential. This would ensure that people were aware of the impacts a changing climate may have and subsequently could take steps to adapt to climate change themselves. 3.4…