North East England is committed to addressing climate change and ClimateNE has developed a strong base of evidence on climate change to help us to understand the scale of the challenge we face. This includes:
Business survey 2012
This survey was originally commissioned by ClimateNE in 2010 to explore business attitudes, perceptions, exposure and vulnerability to climate change across the North East. The 2012 survey includes slight modifications, to investigate any change in business attitudes. It comprised over 300 telephone interviews with senior personnel from businesses located across North East England and was done in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC).
Key findings include: the number of businesses in North East England already incorporating extreme weather into their continuity and disaster planning has increased significantly over the past two years. It also revealed that the number of businesses treating extreme weather similarly to more traditional risks such as fire and theft had doubled to 32 per cent, from 15 per cent, since 2010 with more businesses making changes to assets, services and insurance cover.
Download the executive summary.
Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA)
The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) 2012 is the first assessment of its kind for the UK and the first in a five year cycle. It provides underpinning evidence that can help inform priorities for action and appropriate adaptation measures. It also highlights where more work is needed to understand the scale and nature of the risks, and to help us consider what action we need to take.
To coincide with its publication, and given the importance of local adaptation action, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) commissioned the Climate Change Partnerships across England to produce an information pack to highlight key risks and opportunities from climate change within each area.
Access the North East Summary report, along with examples and links to national documents and reports from the other local areas, here.
Business survey 2010
ClimateNE commissioned a benchmark survey to identify business attitudes, perceptions, exposure and vulnerability to climate change and related legislation. It included over 300 telephone interviews with senior personnel from businesses located across North East England. One of the key findings was that businesses are keen to get advice and support from a single source. In direct response to this, ClimateNE launched the Business Hub, a specialised website for businesses in North East England.
Download the survey executive summary.
Economic Implications of Climate Change - North East Study
This study builds on intelligence derived from other research and tools at a national and North East England scale. The It provides a robust and comprehensive evidence base on the implications of climate change for the North East England economy, and a sound underpinning evidence to allow the development of coherent and robust measures and policy to address risks and exploit the opportunities presented by climate change and the move to a low carbon economy. It is not intended to describe or recommend individual measures or policy.
Access and and download the suite of documents.
North East England Climate Change Adaptation Study
The study provides a clear picture of the impact of climate change including what changes are likely in the years ahead, what areas will be most affected and what we need to do now to prepare and adapt. The study won the Robert Stephenson Special Award for Sustainability 2009, Institute of Civil Engineers' Awards.
Download the summary.
Visit the study website.
Greenhouse Gas Baselines and Trajectories Study
The study measures the contribution that the North East of England is making to local, regional, national and international targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases. The study provides a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory for North East England and includes a tool to enable the region to monitor its emissions.
Download the summary.
Download the full study.
Climate Change Action Plan for North East England
The plan tells us what we need to do to tackle climate change in the region and shows how all sectors have the opportunity to actively engage with this work, take direct action, and influence how the plan is developed. It explains the challenges we face and highlights high-level strategic actions as well as detailed individual actions.
Download the summary.
