We will invest in the resilience of our places
Changes to the climate are likely to mean that the West Midlands experiences higher rainfall and a greater likelihood of extreme temperatures. These changes will occur, even in the IPCC’s (17) most optimistic scenario – 1.5 degrees of warming (18). This means that we need to invest in our ability to live with both of those things: by enhancing green spaces, designing out flooding and extreme temperatures from our places, and upgrading our infrastructure.
If we breach 1.5 degrees of warming, we can expect all of these impacts to intensify, along with increased migration of people globally, and higher potential for biodiversity loss and vector-borne disease. All of this will require a different approach to the maintenance, investment and development of our places.
What does this look like?
We plant trees and other greenery to help us manage increased temperatures and rainfall
Our investment in tree planting is not about aesthetics alone: we plant strategically, based on evidence around the need for cooling, exposure to flooding, and to achieve maximum carbon sequestration. This means planting in places which we would otherwise develop and improving our approach to forestry management. We will also need to be conscious of the interplay between urban greening and microgeneration – e.g. sometimes you can have a combined green roof and solar array, but on other occasions, you have to choose between them, depending on what is most suitable for the area.
(17). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(18). Special Report – Global Warming of 1.5ºc: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15