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The recent Copenhagen summit have done little in the fight on climate change but there is more pressure than ever on councils to deliver on environmental issues, says Nick Appleyard. As the race to win the battle against climate change heats up, local government finds itself expected to fight the ground battle. Several innovative councils are leading the way in their response to the problem, and these examples of best practice are providing lessons for other authorities to learn from. Communities secretary, John Denham, says these councils have impressed him in the way they have tackled the issue locally. He has named nine authorities, which are to continue leading the way by working with his department on low carbon framework pilots. But, as extreme weather conditions become more common in the UK, local authorities must adapt now, in order to be able to continue delivering public services. ‘It is essential that [local government] has a good understanding of the impacts of climate change and some of the actions we can take to safeguard communities and adapt services, buildings and infrastructure,' says Vanessa Goodchild-Bradley, environmental policy consultant at the Local Government Association (LGA). Given the lack of progress at the Copenhagen summit, adaptation will become ‘increasingly important'. Councils are key to this, as providers of local services and in ensuring community wellbeing. ‘The impacts of climate change will be felt in local areas, and it will be action at the local level which will enable us to plan our communities so they are much better adapted to the threats, and also the opportunities, that a changing climate might bring.' One only has to look at the recent summer floods and past two winters' snowstorms to see evidence of this. Cllr Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA environment board and leader of South Holland DC, says: ‘Councils must be able to deliver their services and protect their communities, whatever the weather. ‘Finding out what could go wrong as a result of changing weather, and doing something about it, is something all of us need to take very seriously.' Last month, the LGA launched guidance for elected members to help spread awareness of climate projections. Available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website, the data provides local authorities with the impacts of climate change likely to be experienced at a local level – in order to enable them to act now and ensure they are prepared. The LGA document – What do the latest climate projections mean for you? – also promotes good practice case studies to aid councils developing their own local adaptation strategies. ‘We hope to spread awareness of the climate projections, what they might mean for councils, and the sorts of questions that councils need to ask themselves now to ensure better protection and resilience in the future,' Ms Goodchild-Bradley explains. ‘Many councils are already looking at the implications of warmer or wetter seasons and rising sea levels. They are calculating the social, environmental and economic cost of not taking action, and also some of the multiple benefits that some adaptation measures can bring. ‘For instance, installing sustainable drainage means rainwater is captured locally, slowing down run-off and preventing surface water flooding. Preventing flooding means residents do not need to be re-housed, schools are not closed, and the trauma and health impacts are avoided. ‘On the plus side, sustainable drainage can also mean we are actively improving local amenity, with more green spaces, improved local biodiversity, as well as saving the energy costs of transporting and treating waste water and avoiding pollution.' Karen Lawrence, director of delivery at the Energy Saving Trust, has called for all councils to lead the way. ‘There are some real flagship local authorities out there,' she says. ‘But we want the term "flagship" to become redundant. When a council takes such innovative decisions, there is a chance for others to follow suit – and sharing and collaboration is key to this.' According to the CLG, the pilot frameworks will set definite targets for action, and develop clear strategy to achieve these. They will produce a delivery plan for all the council's partner organisations. But are we not in danger of focusing the nation's climate change approach too heavily on mitigation. ‘After all, we have to live with the effects of the damage done to the climate so far – no matter how much we reduce emissions tomorrow,' Ms Goodchild-Bradley says. ‘So what is important is to reduce the risks posed by climate change.' This does not mean giving up trying to slash carbon footprints. It merely means thinking about giving a little priority to the present, as well as working towards the future. Ms Lawrence accused council leaders and chief executives of not showing enough ‘willingness' to tackle climate change, while Mike Childs, head of climate change at Friends of the Earth, claimed that for ‘too many authorities, it isn't a political priority'. However, as world leaders – former US president Bill Clinton; Nobel Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, and none other than The Terminator [actor Arnold Schwarzenegger] acknowledged in Copenhagen, local government really is leading the way.

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WHITEHALL

Councils feel heat over climate change

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