Environment Agency: Scaling up the climate change adaptation response in the West Midlands

Lead Organisation

Sustainability West Midlands
Project Manager: Alan Carr (Senior Sustainability Adviser)

Overview

We have worked in collaboration with the Environment Agency for the past three years to help accelerate and scale-up the region’s response to climate change adaptation. While there is an increasing recognition that we are experiencing a greater number and intensity of extreme weather events, progress on dealing with their risks and impacts remains slow. This collaboration aims to drive forward activity across multiple sectors in the region, to increase resilience and encourage adaptation action.

Aims

• To produce a climate change adaptation plan for the region, collating all the actions that are needed to respond effectively to climate change adaptation in the region into one place.
• To develop resources to help a range of organisations scale up their response to climate change adaptation.
• To provide opportunities for knowledge exchange, sharing good practice and collaboration on climate change adaptation activities.

Outcomes

• The publication of the first West Midlands Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
• An event launching the Plan, with a range of stakeholders.
• The setting up and convening of the West Midlands Climate Adaptation Working Group, to drive forward the actions.
• Adapt to Survive, a toolkit and accompanying guidance to support the NHS with the development of adaptation plans.
• A national event alongside the above for NHS Trusts to share learning on adaptation.
• The publication of Weathering the Storm, a guide on how SMEs can become more resilient.
• The publication of an equivalent guide for the agriculture industry and land managers (to be published in Feb 2024).
• A case study suite showcasing practical examples of how local authorities can implement adaptation projects.
• A national event with 75 attendees from local authorities also focusing on the above.
• An event titled ‘Climate Change: It’s In Our Nature,’ focusing on nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
• Three rounds of our local authority benchmarking exercise, monitoring the progress on sustainability of the councils in our region.

“Climate change adaptation underpins much of what the Environment Agency does, and working with SWM has allowed us to influence and drive forward the West Midlands’s response on this agenda in a way that we could not have otherwise done. Their unique reach and experience means that we can collectively produce resources, engage stakeholders and catalyse local action on climate change adaptation that would not have otherwise taken place. We look forward to maintaining this hugely successful relationship with them in future.” – Jim Davies, Senior Advisor (Local Nature Recovery Strategies), Environment Agency.

Download the full case study

For further information on the project or to work with us in one of a variety of ways, please see our consultancy page or contact the SWM team on enquiries@swm.org.uk.