Posted on 7/03/22 by Kristen Guida
IPCC Report: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability You’ll have seen by now that the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment (AR6) Working Group II published its findings last Monday in a report called “an atlas of human suffering” by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. There has been plenty of good commentary on this 3000+ page report, but we’ll add a briefing summary with a London spin, which you can find here.
Survey: urban planning understanding of UHI: Colleagues at the University of Birmingham invite you to take part in a survey dedicated to understanding the prevalence of Urban Heat Island research within the urban planning industry. The survey takes just 10 minutes to complete. It’s focused on Birmingham and Manchester but the researchers are keen to hear from London planning colleagues also. All data will be anonymised.
Workshop on heat-health indicators The Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) has been reviewing the state of play with regard to indicators of climate change and health response and preparedness, and has been working to propose sets of indicators and methods for tracking the effectiveness of policy actions. This stakeholder workshop on 8 and 9 March will be an in-depth review of heat-health indicators for use in adaptation assessments and public health surveillance. An expert panel will discuss research on heat impact and policy action, and review indicator needs for monitoring adaptation and for public health surveillance with the goal of identifying indicators fit for purpose.
Two-fifths of London firms at risk of climate-fuelled flash floods New analysis from Zurich UK reveals flooding from torrential rain threatens 42% of the capital’s 301,000 commercial buildings. Kensington and Chelsea was found to have the highest percentage of commercial buildings at risk of flash flooding (63%), followed by Hammersmith and Fulham (56%), Merton (54%), Southwark (54%) and Wandsworth (53%). Nearly half of London’s 33,200 basements in commercial use are at risk of flooding from heavy rain, and businesses are urged to put plans in place to prepare for more frequent deluges. Read more at the link.
Thames Water’s adaptation report online Thames Water has published its third adaptation report under the Adaptation Reporting Power, which was instituted by the Climate Change Act 2008. This report sets out how Thames Water is addressing current and future climate impacts.
ICE Vernon Harcourt lecture: ensuring the transition to a just, climate-resilient future The Institution for Civil Engineers (ICE) invites you to the ICE London headquarters to hear Sally Sudworth, Global Head of Sustainability and Climate Change at Mott MacDonald, deliver this year’s lecture to consider how engineers can ensure the transition to a more climate resilient future in a just and fair manner. March 8, 6pm at ICE. Find out more and book here.