Climate Adaptation Guidance and Support
Nature-based solutions guidance
In 2024 we published a guidance document on the use of nature-based sustainable drainage systems (NbSuDS). The document highlighted the multiple benefits that these nature-based solutions can bring about, and outlined the multiple planning regulations that NbSuDS can help developers to comply with.
Click here to access the document: Introduction to Nature-Based Sustainable Drainage Systems (NBSuDS)
Preparing for Climate Change: Guidance and Support
Here you’ll find a list of trusted advice, guidance, and support for how to respond to climate impacts (like severe weather) and prepare for them ahead of time.
This is not an exhaustive list of advice and the WMCA will be reviewing and adding to these links on an ongoing basis
Check your area for flood risk:
Check your area for heat risk:
Extreme weather warnings
- Follow the West Midlands Prepared on Twitter for updates from the West Midlands' Local Resilience Forum
- See current UK weather warning from the Met Office
- Sign up for heat-related health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency & Met Office’s Heat-health alert service
- View the UK Health Security Agency & Met Office’s Weather Health Alerts Dashboards
British Red Cross
- Heatwave support and advice from the British Red Cross.
- Top tips for keeping cool in hot weather.
- Guidance on preparing for drought and water shortages in the UK.
- Guidance on staying safe when wildfires hit.
NHS England
- Coping with hot weather in the UK
- How to handle heat exhaustion and heat stroke in the UK
West Midlands Fire Service
Age UK
- Keeping ourselves and those most vulnerable to heat cool in heatwaves.
- Guidance on adapting and reducing exposure to flood risk from the Met Office
- Preparing for floods with the British Red Cross
- Floods explained: what are floods and why do they occur?
- West Midlands Fire Service: what to do when it floods?
- A toolkit for community resilience in urban areas from the British Red Cross
- West Midlands Community Risk Register from the West Midlands Conurbation Local Resilience Forum. This register includes what to do when incidences of severe weather, power outages and transport disruption occur.
Climate Resilient Project Lifecycle Guidance
Climate risks pose a threat to the success of projects and policies and to the longevity of the outcomes they're trying to achieve. In 2025 the WMCA published a guidance on embedding climate risk management and adaptation into common project and policy lifecycle stages.
The guidance focuses on the climate risk considerations colleagues should take when working across:
- Energy planning & building retrofit
- New builds and development
- Transport and highways
Different actions can be taken at different stages of a project lifecycle to help protect the project and its intended outcomes against current and future climate change. These actions are split across common project stages:
- Project initiation - understand risk
- Project development - identify and develop responses
- Project business cases and approvals - prioritise and deliver
- Monitor and evaluate
Community Environment Network
If you are a community based organisation in the West Midlands, the Network provides funding, support and guidance for your climate adaptation work.
Join the Network and find out more on our website.
Community Environment Fund
Green infrastructure and the services provided by nature-based solutions are key to helping adapt the West Midlands’ urban landscape and increase its resilience to climate impacts. Since 2021, the WMCA have been building community capacity through grant funding programmes.
Click here to read more about work done through our Community Green Grants and more recent Community Environment Fund.
Contact us
For any further queries or guidance, please email: environment@wmca.org.uk