Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
• Key areas that may be particularly adversely affected by the worsening envir<strong>on</strong>mental trends:focus <strong>on</strong> areas of particular envir<strong>on</strong>mental importance, such as Natura 2000 sites designatedunder the Birds <strong>and</strong> Habitats Directives or other z<strong>on</strong>es designated under EU legislati<strong>on</strong> becauseof their envir<strong>on</strong>mental sensitivity or characteristics.• Critical interdependencies: e.g. water supply <strong>and</strong> sewage treatment systems, flood defences,energy/electricity supply <strong>and</strong> communicati<strong>on</strong> networks.• Who benefits <strong>and</strong> who loses as a result of these trends: adverse impacts are not generallyproporti<strong>on</strong>ally distributed within society — some populati<strong>on</strong> groups <strong>and</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omic sectors aremore seriously affected than others by these changes in the ecosystems.When developing the baseline against which the proposed PP is to be assessed, it is also importantto acknowledge uncertainty — depending <strong>on</strong> the timescale <strong>and</strong> spatial scale being c<strong>on</strong>sidered someuncertainty is inevitable <strong>and</strong> this will increase over larger scales.5.3.1 VulnerabilityAssessing vulnerability needs to be built <strong>into</strong> any assessmentof the evoluti<strong>on</strong> of the baseline envir<strong>on</strong>ment, <strong>and</strong> ofalternatives. How will the envir<strong>on</strong>ment change if the PP isnot implemented, or if different alternatives are taken?‘Vulnerability assessment is the analysis of the expectedimpacts, risks <strong>and</strong> the adaptive capacity of a regi<strong>on</strong> or sectorto the effects of climate change. Vulnerability assessmentencompasses more than simple measurement of thepotential harm caused by events resulting from climatechange: it includes an assessment of the regi<strong>on</strong>’s or sector’sability to adapt. Within the c<strong>on</strong>text of climate change, theIPCC defines vulnerability to climate change as the degree towhich a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with,adverse effects of climate change, including climatevariability <strong>and</strong> extremes.’ 28Major infrastructure will be particularly vulnerable, <strong>and</strong>therefore PPs should reflect this (see box right). During flashfloods, for example, poorly designed sewage networks canoverflow <strong>and</strong> release c<strong>on</strong>taminated flood waters <strong>into</strong> otherneighbourhoods. PPs that will place future dem<strong>and</strong>s <strong>on</strong> thesewerage system will need to take account of the capacity ofthe system to cope not just with the expected sewageeffluent/disposal requirements of the development resultingfrom the implementati<strong>on</strong> of a PP, but also its capacity in thel<strong>on</strong>g-term <strong>and</strong> in the face of climate change. <strong>Biodiversity</strong>Vulnerability of infrastructureMajor infrastructure projects, inparticular, might be vulnerable, e.g. to:• increased flood risk to fossil fuel<strong>and</strong> nuclear power sites <strong>and</strong>electricity substati<strong>on</strong>s;• reduced availability of cooling waterfor inl<strong>and</strong> power stati<strong>on</strong>s;• reduced quality of wireless servicefrom increased temperatures <strong>and</strong>intense rainfall;• increased floods risk to all transportsectors;• increased scour of bridges fromintense rainfall/flooding;• reduced security of water supplyfrom changing rainfall patterns;• increased flood risk to wastewaterinfrastructure.When assessing vulnerability, it isimportant to c<strong>on</strong>sider criticalinterdependencies, e.g. in infrastructurethey can lead to a ‘cascade failure’where the failure of <strong>on</strong>e aspect ofinfrastructure, such as flood defences,can lead to other failures e.g. floodedpower stati<strong>on</strong>s leading to power cutswhich thereby affecttelecommunicati<strong>on</strong>s networks.Source: HM Government (UK, 2011)(<strong>Climate</strong> Resilient Infrastructure:Preparing for a Changing <strong>Climate</strong> —Summary Document)28 Source: CLIMATE-ADAPT.<str<strong>on</strong>g>Guidance</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> integrating climate change <strong>and</strong> biodiversity <strong>into</strong> SEA 41