Adapting to climate change

Our climate is changing

It may be tempting to think that climate change happens in far away places and is an issue for the future, but climate change is a global threat that will affect us all. Impacts are already being felt in the UK and across Europe and this trend is likely to continue.

Even if we stopped all emissions of greenhouse gases tomorrow, a certain amount of further global warming, and the consequent climate impacts, is already baked in to the global climate system. So clearly we are going to need to become more resilient to these climate impacts and adapt to a changing climate.

Climate change is as much a threat to our economic prosperity as it is an environmental threat. Disruption to supply chains and climate-related mass migration are the kinds of effects that can be exasperated by climate change.

Impacts in Trafford

We’ve all felt the effects of climate change over the last few years, whether through increased cases of flooding, more extreme weather, heat waves and wildfires. 

More information about adapting to climate change in the UK can be found on the Adaptation Committee of the Climate Change Committee website.

Its assessment of UK climate risk sets out the priority climate change risks and opportunities for the UK.

Greater Manchester Adaptation strategy and Action Plan

We are working closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the other Greater Manchester districts to develop a Greater Manchester Adaptation strategy and Action Plan.

This work will also feed in to the new Greater Manchester Five Year Environment Plan for 2025-2029, which will, for the first time, cover adaptation to climate change as well as action to achieve carbon neutrality.

The Greater Manchester-wide Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan will undertake a climate hazard assessment for Greater Manchester, produce a city region-wide climate risk assessment, develop a framework for monitoring and evaluating progress in increasing climate resilience, and develop a climate adaptation strategy and action plan for the region.