Our Roadmap to 2030
9 Mar 2013
An independent National Adaptation Programme for England
This policy brief contributes to the National Adaptation Programme by offering an analytical framework and formulating a rational basis for thinking about adaptation. It identifies main climate vulnerabilities in the UK at present, discusses adaptation priorities, and reviews the role of government and policy in adaptation. The report concludes with an illustrative set of actions for the government to take forward into the National Adaptation Programme.
External Reports
11 Dec 2012
Climate change – is the UK preparing for flooding and water scarcity?
The Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC) has a statutory duty to report regularly to Parliament on the UK Government's progress in delivering its adaptation programme. In their first two reports, ASC developed and piloted a toolkit to assess progress in preparing for climate change, including use of adaptation indicators. In this report the Adaptation Sub-Committee apply the toolkit at a national level to two of the largest risks to emerge from the UK's first Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA): flooding and water scarcity.
External Reports
13 Nov 2012
Executive Summary: A review of progress towards an environmentally sustainable and socially just West Midlands
This report is aimed at our members, green leaders and other leaders from the business, public and voluntary sectors in the West Midlands. It is to help inform them of the current collective progress against the seven sustainability priorities to deliver our vision for 2020.
Our Reports & Guides
12 Jul 2012
Socially just adaptation to climate change
The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the concept of socially just adaptation. The report recognises the increased responsibility and awareness local authorities, business and communities now have on adaptation and what this means for society, but wanted to investigate how widespread this awareness is. They also wanted to investigate examples of good practice of socially just adaptation to help to demonstrate what can be achieved and implemented with the right ambitions.
External Reports
29 Mar 2012
The Midcounties Co-operative and UKCIP’s Adaptation Wizard
This case study summarises the work Midcounties undertook with UKCIP to plan how to adapt to climate change using the methodology outlined in the UKCIP Adaptation Wizard.
External Case Studies
12 Mar 2012
The Multifunctionality of Green Infrastructure
The report outlines the different functions of green infrastructure (GI), in terms of four broad roles that it performs.
External Reports
21 Dec 2011
Green game-changers: Insights for mainstreaming business innovation
This review follows on from last year's Green Game-Changers report, which looked at small-scale sustainability innovators. The potential of these small players inspired this year's review of the progress that large firms have made to adopt scale up innovations. Within this remit we have honed in on those that have gone beyond product and process optimization and have innovated their business models towards sustainability.
External Reports
4 Dec 2011
Business briefings: Adapting to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events
The purpose of these business briefings is to provide businesses in these parts of the West Midlands with a more focused briefing on the most relevant climate impacts where they are based and to see examples of what other businesses in their area are doing to be more prepared.
Our Reports & Guides
14 Oct 2011
Weathering the Storm – saving and making money in a changing climate
Sustainability West Midlands and the Environment Agency with support from the members of the former West Midlands Climate change adaptation partnership including; Defra, UKCIP, Government Office West Midlands, Business Link and Advantage West Midlands.
Our Reports & Guides
22 Aug 2011
Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, communities and climate change
The aim of this report is to support the efforts leading up to Rio+20 (UN Conference on Sustainable Development) as well as the activities partnerships and commitments that flow from the conference. The report aims to provide useful guidance to business leaders and policymakers and answers important questions surrounding the role of business in adaptation. For example, 'What are the barriers that may prevent effective business engagement in adaptation?'.
External Reports
6 Jul 2011
Woodland for Water: Woodland measures for meeting Water Framework Directive objectives
To present evidence which will help promote effective woodland planning and be part of the solution to achieving good water status. It is timely, as it follows on from the establishment of the Woodland Carbon Task Force which aims to realise Government's desire for increased woodland planting in England to help meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments. Similarly, in Wales, the recently announced Glastir scheme provides additional incentive for woodland creation.
External Reports
12 May 2011
West Midlands Roadmap to a Sustainable Future in 2020
To provide a one page summary bringing together our work on the challenges faced by the West Midlands, our report 'West Midlands Sustainability Priorities to deliver the Low Carbon Vision 2020' and our vision document, 'A low carbon vision for the West Midlands in 2020'.
Our Reports & Guides
2 Mar 2011
Identifying the Opportunities for Adaptation in the Built Environment
The objective of this report was to identify the construction sectors which would benefit most from extending the findings of two WMCCE Climate Change in School Building reports and to identify and engage the key stakeholders to implement and influence the inclusion of climate change adaptation best practice through their development programmes and in the WMCCE Demonstration Project Programme.
External Reports
7 Feb 2011
West Midlands Sustainability Priorities to deliver the Low Carbon Vision 2020
This report sets the priorities to achieve our vision for a sustainable West Midlands. We will continue to use these priorities in shaping our sustainability policy advice to leaders in the West Midlands, cross-sector events with our members to develop solutions, and sharing good practice.
Our Reports & Guides
22 Dec 2010
Low Carbon Coventry 2020: A vision for transforming our city
Author of the report Coventry 2020 Low Carbon Task Group Date of the report 2 December 2010 Purpose of the…
External Reports
25 Oct 2010
Benefits of green infrastructure: Report to Defra and CLG
Date of the report October 2010 Author of the report Forestry Commission Purpose of the report Today’s urban policy must…
External Reports
31 Mar 2010
Roadmap 2020: Sustainable Development Priorities for the West Midlands Workshop
This presentation was given by Dr Simon Slater, SWM and Stephen Owen, URSUS and SWM on 30 March as part of the Roadmap for a sustainable region in 2020 project.
Our Events & Presentations
6 Mar 2010
Health Effects of Climate Change in the West Midlands
This project was funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of the Regional Climate Change Partnerships (RCCP) programme.
External Reports
3 May 2009
Low-Carbon Economy for the West Midlands: a synthesis report
In December 2007 Advantage West Midlands (AWM) produced the West Midlands Regional Economic Strategy (WMES) 'Connecting to Success'. It has been recognised as the UK's first low-carbon economic strategy.
External Reports
3 Mar 2009
Understanding the West Midlands Carbon Gap
The report aims to help policy makers in the West Midlands understand how implementing the key international, national and regional policies will affect CO₂ emissions in the region. It outlines the scale of the challenge for the region to meet its targets by 2020 and how much of the reduction will need to be driven by regional policies. It critically examines the contribution individual strategies can make in closing the carbon gap and asks what the region needs to do above and beyond the existing policies to achieve the targets outlined by them.
External Reports
3 Nov 2007
Culture and climate change in the West Midlands
The report aims to raise awareness amongst those working in the cultural sectors as to the relationship between culture and climate change and the implications of climate change to these sectors in the West Midlands. The report includes new ideas of how to use the cultural sectors to raise public awareness of climate adaption within the West Midlands.
External Reports
18 Oct 2007
Low Carbon Evidence Base for the West Midlands Regional Economic Strategy
Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has commissioned a programme of work to underpin its work on producing the UK's first low carbon Regional Economic Strategy. This programme included, among other work streams, the development of an evidence base to support the "low carbon" components of the new West Midlands Regional Economic Strategy (WMES) and an assessment of the impacts of climate change on the economy of the West Midlands.
External Reports
18 Jun 2007
Taking the Temperature – Towards an NHS Response to Global Warming
A survey by Ipsos MORI revealed that 63% of the public agree that the NHS should do more to reduce its carbon footprint, which due to the sheer scale of the NHS, is considerable. This report asserts that this very scale offers huge potential to make a positive impact. It outlines that the NHS recognises the potential for climate change mitigation and adaption strategies and wants to take a long term view to deliver multiple health, environmental, social and economic benefits.
External Reports
18 Dec 2006
Are UK Businesses Climate Proof?
This report was produced by climate risk management specialists Acclimatise in association with the UK Climate Impacts Programme. It highlights that British businesses have little understanding of the likely consequences of climate change and are badly prepared to respond to its impact.
External Reports