Posted on 8/04/19 by Kristen Guida
News and Past Events
LCCP and Space4Climate at Futurebuild Briony Turner and Kristen organized a session at the Vision London symposium at Futurebuild on 6 March. Lisa Horrocks from Mott MacDonald chaired a session comprised of short, provocative talks from nine speakers representing a diversity of expertise, including public health, infrastructure, technology and “smart” solutions, green space, and flooding. The purpose was to explore the need for cross-sectoral working to ensure the viability of London’s society, economy, and environment in the face of climate change. See presentations and more information here.
Improving Weather Monitoring in London LCCP hosted a group of scientists and sector experts on March 29 for a discussion about weather monitoring needs and opportunities for London. The discussion followed on from the previous Observing London project, which was led by Professor Sue Grimmond at Reading University. Professor Grimmond presented a review of the project report and findings, and participants discussed how to ensure better coordination across data users and providers with different planning and scientific agendas (for example, air quality and heat). The discussion also included contributions about what monitoring currently exists, priority data gaps/needs, the potential for placement of monitoring stations, and the barriers to monitoring and using weather data. More information about the project and the discussion are available here.
Global Climate Change Impacts Accelerating The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate 2018 report says that the physical and financial impacts of global warming are accelerating. Heatwaves and wildfires cost nearly $24 billion in the United States. More than two million people were displaced by disasters linked to weather. And global mean sea level was 3.7mm higher in 2018 than in 2017, and the highest ever recorded. A summary of the findings is here
Update on ISO 14090: Adapting to Climate Change The producers of this new standard, which sets out principles, requirements, and guidelines for adaptation to climate change, are looking for organizations to test it. The process involves integrating adaptation within or across organizations and understanding impacts and uncertainties and how these can be used to inform decisions. It is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, sector, or objectives. If your organization is interested in taking part, email Kristen.
UKGBC Releases Circular Economy Guidance… has released a comprehensive guidance document to promote the practical application of circular economy principles on construction projects. It is designed to enable client organisations to include more ambitious circular design and construction best practices in project briefs for non-domestic projects.
…and Climate Resilience Videos Explanatory videos about the risks of overheating, flooding, and water scarcity in the built environment are all located here. You can also find a link to the useful climate resilience actor and resource map and more information about the UKGBC resilience programme.
Ensuring Enough Water in 2050 Environment Agency Chief Executive Sir James Bevan spoke at the Waterwise conference on 19 March. He warned that demand will outstrip supply around 25 years from now unless we take action. “We can foresee this moment and there is still time to avoid it. But we need to change our attitudes to wasting water so it becomes as socially unacceptable as throwing your plastic bags into the sea. We need to use less water and use it more efficiently. Water companies, regulators, NGOs and the public all have an important role to play.” See the full speech here.
New Creative Green Tools Julie’s Bicycle are excited to share their new and updated suite of Creative Green Tools. More than 3000 organisations in 50 countries use these tools to easily measure and understand the environmental impacts of cultural buildings, offices, outdoor events, tours and productions. This unique set of carbon calculators is free to use and has been developed specifically for the creative industries to meaningfully capture data and measure environmental impacts.
Opportunities at Julie’s Bicycle Julie’s Bicycle are expanding their team with four current vacancies for people who believe in the power of art and culture to drive leadership on climate change. The roles are:
Further details can be found on the website here.
Forward Look
for more information about any events, contact Kristen unless otherwise specified.
April
26: Risk, Resilience, and Reward: What does business think? Launch of national resilience survey on business sentiment. Details/registration here.
May
1: Beyond Risk Management: how to deal with complexity and uncertainty. Details, registration here.
28-31: European Climate Change Adaptation (ECCA) conference, Lisbon. Details about the themes of the conference, how to submit sessions, and how to register are available here.
June
4: First Royal Meteorological Society Climate Change Forum: “Risks and Resilience: Emerging Challenges in a Post-Paris world.” More information and Draft programme
July
1-7: London Climate Action Week The establishment of a London Climate Action Week in 2019 is intended to provide a unifying moment for those working on climate action in London and demonstrate London’s role as a global and national hub of climate action. The objectives of the week are to: