Date of the report
August 2006
Author of the report
The UK Climate Impacts Programme
Purpose of the report
This report is addressed to AWM’s priority business cluster managers and their chairs. It sets out recommendations for action by four priority business clusters to take forward their adaptation response to the emerging risks posed by climate change. Recommended actions for each cluster are set out in each section. Proposed next steps will be agreed through discussions with business cluster managers in September 2006. The report follows from an initial workshop carried out in February this year with the UK Climate Impacts Programme. This identified key risks for AWM and recommended that a more detailed scoping exercise be carried out for AWM’s cluster areas. This work forms part of AWM’s response to the risks posed by climate change impacts to its core activities and responsibilities to promote robust and sustainable economic growth for the West Midlands through the Regional Economic Strategy. Further work is being carried out by AWM to address this risk, and this is also described in the introductory section of this report.
Relevance to the region
This report addresses the key impacts of expected climate change in the West Midlands for the period from today to the 2020s to four of AWM’s priority Business Clusters. It sets out recommendations for further action by Cluster managers, highlighting ‘quick win’ actions that AWM can undertake to begin the process of climate proofing for the future, and gives an indication of current impacts and adaptation work in the area by listing further resources. The four clusters examined in this report are:
- Transport Technologies- Rail
- Building Technologies
- Environmental Technologies
- Tourism and Leisure
These sectors have been selected for examination on the basis of the following three factors:
- Magnitude of current exposure to weather variability and extremes
- Involvement in long-term investments in infrastructure or other fixed assets, which must be robust over time frames over which climate change impacts will become more pronounced
- Potential to offer solutions to the causes of the increasing impacts of climatic change- i.e. through energy saving or greenhouse gas emission reductions
What SWM liked
We like that the Business threats and opportunities for each business area are clearly set out in tables for each business cluster examined.
Links and Contact information
For more information about this report, please contact Jane Pendlenton, Project officer for Business Engagement at the UK Climate Impacts Programme by email jane.pendlenton@ukcip.org.uk or phone 01865 285 717.
