Catherine May reflects on practical steps that can be taken in the housing sector.
Extreme weather events such as the devastating flooding in South Wales and Monmouthshire have pushed climate change up the agenda. The storms we have seen in the first months of 2020 are likely to be more frequent occurrences which as well as rising river levels, heat waves and water scarcity means the impact of the changing climate will be felt across the globe. The below graph sets out projected impacts from climate change from a medium emissions scenario as envisaged by Welsh Government.
Projected impacts from climate change from a medium emissions scenario
There is no doubt we need governments and big corporations to change the way they do business, but having attended a discussion hosted by Public Health Wales about the possible impacts on our health of these weather events, I started thinking about what we can do in the housing sector to further mitigate against the impact of these events.
Working in housing means we are lucky to be able to work with many people from across Wales, and we are often the frontline service for those in need. After an extreme weather event, the focus is often on the physical recovery of houses and businesses, but the impact to people’s mental health can be far more long-lasting.
As individuals, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the possible negative implications of climate change so much so that ‘eco-anxiety’ has been identified as a concern for people who are struggling with the gloomy prospects for themselves and the planet. This article[1] sets out eight sensible tips for people to think about what you can do locally and with others.
For communities, we know that the impact of extreme hot and cold weather will be felt by everyone but in particular older people, very young or those with pre-existing medical conditions. Public Health Wales have published guidance for coping in hot weather and flooding which sets out the steps to take in extreme weather.
Some further questions for housing professionals to think about;
- how can we keep people who work outdoors safe, including in very hot conditions?
- are there safe places for people to cool down?
- when it’s wet and cold, how do we make sure older people are able to get out and access amenities such as shops, health services?
Within organisations, we need to be thinking about
- how we can plan for adverse weather?
- what might be the impact of climate change on damage to homes and communities?
- coastal erosion means we need to talk about how we support those communities who may be displaced, both internationally and within Wales?
As well as coping with the aftermath of extreme weather as above, there are steps we can all be taking with our organisations and communities to tackle some of the reliance on the energy sources that are contributing to the changes in our climate. Some ideas are:
- Talk about it with people we know, share ideas for what can be done locally to cut down on unnecessary car usage and accessing locally grown produce
- Invest in green spaces as natural flood plains and move away from concreting over gardens and drives
- Learn from experts such as the Centre for Alternative Technology’s Zero Carbon Britain and World Health Organisation global information [2]
- Join or even set up local groups such as Welcome to our Woods in the Upper Rhondda Fawr, South Wales Valleys which looks to manage local resources and connect with the needs of local population http://welcometoourwoods.org/
The challenge we face as organisations while Wales has the oldest housing stock in Europe, it is estimated that 80 per cent of the homes we will be living in in 2050 have already been built. We need to retrofit these homes to bring them up to low or zero carbon standards while also addressing the fuel poverty facing communities. This is a theme we are discussing at our Tyfu Tai Cymru forums in 2020, for more information contact catherine.may@cih.org
Maintaining momentum
While for some governments have moved too slowly, in 2019 Welsh Government declared a climate emergency and in 2020 they published a five-year blueprint. There is more information about global impacts of climate change, and what needs to be done published by the World Health Organisation[3]
Recognising that learning from each other is fundamental to how we protect the environment, at CIH Cymru we share the good work being done by the housing sector through our annual awards and our Good Practice Compendium, such as nominees for the 2019 award for Supporting Future Generations, Growing Green Spaces at Linc Cymru[4]. We will continue to highlight the innovative projects which seek to bring communities together to tackle the impacts of climate change, both now and in the future.
Catherine May is Tyfu Tai Cymru manager
[1] www.newscientist.com/article/2220561-stressed-about-climate-change-eight-tips-for-managing-eco-anxiety/
[3] www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
[4]www.cih.org/resources/PDF/Event pdfs/Welsh Housing Awards 2019/0359 GPC ENGLISH LR.pdf