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Reading Borough Council

… Overheating in housing Overheating in hospitals, care homes, schools and offices Damage to buildings from extreme weather events Increased water stress Changes required in design, construction and management of buildings Increased flood risk to built environment Disruption of power networks and supply Increased urban heat island effect Disruption to transport, energy and communications…

… Overheating/failure of signalling/comms equipment Further stress on already stressed water resources Increased competition for water between agriculture, industry, households and the needs of the natural environment Drought impacts on water quality and supply Increased flash flood risk Table 1: Summary of climate risks for key sectors in Reading (Source: Reading Climate Change Adaptation Plan…

… and facilities Flooding impacts on wellbeing and livelihoods Air quality impacts exacerbated More positively, there is potential for more outdoor lifestyles Natural environment Transport Water environment Risk to vulnerable species and habitats Impacts on ‘eco-system services’ enjoyed by people Damage to natural habitats from water stress Impacts of increased drought risk on tree health Risk…

… of invasive/non-native species colonising as suitable ‘climate space’ shifts northwards Disruption of transport networks impacting on wellbeing and economy Flood risk to infrastructure Heavy rain/high winds leading to more accidents, treefall, road closures and delays Risk of slope/embankment failures Risk of rails buckling, cables sagging and roads softening Discomfort on public transport…

… solutions: improved management of greenspace and the water environment in Reading also offers scope to reduce carbon emissions as natural areas can act as ‘carbon sinks’. This will also have the advantage of helping the town adapt to the impacts of a changing climate by mitigating flood risk, reducing the urban heat island effect, improving air quality and enhancing health and well-being…