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A Summary of Climate Change Impacts in the West Midlands Combined Authority Area

Foreword

In June 2019, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) declared a climate emergency and the WMCA Board agreed a target for the region to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2041.

Efforts to reduce carbon emissions look to address the cause of climate change.

But we also need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change. This is one of the five principles of WM2041: ‘we will boost our resilience to climate change’.

This document provides a high-level summary of the climate change scenarios, likely impacts to people, infrastructure and the natural environment and risks across the WMCA area.

The 2022 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment concluded that progress with adaptation policy and implementation is not keeping up with the rate of increase in climate risk, and that the risks to all aspects of life in the UK have increased over the last 5 years.

More adaptation action is required nationally, regionally and locally, and this summary document provides an introduction to climate impacts aimed at encouraging action from across society to make changes that will protect ourselves and simultaneously take advantage of adaptation opportunities.

The majority of the evidence and information provided in this document comes from
the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment independent review, the UK Climate Change Projections 2018 and the West Midlands Climate Change Adaptation Plan.