Climate responsive and resilient

Opportunities

Central Bedfordshire’s rural character and extensive green space, including the Greensand Ridge, provide an opportunity to develop the outdoor economy and to encourage protection of our precious landscapes.

Whilst climate change is a global issue we can develop local responses “think global act local”. Green infrastructure can reduce the effects of climate change such as air pollutants and urban heat islands. Biodiversity can become an intrinsic part of our urban environments, through renewed focus on urban green spaces, preservation and re-wilding.

The large number of distribution and logistics centres in Central Bedfordshire provide an opportunity for solar panel installation on a significant scale. This could help to reduce the carbon impact of Central Bedfordshire’s electricity consumption.

Challenges

The highest carbon per capita consumption comes from areas with a low population density, such as Central Bedfordshire. We must continue to explore how to reduce carbon consumption in our communities - and where the impacts of Covid-19 that have seen dramatic decreases in carbon could be harnessed for positive change.

Around 2,000 heat-related deaths occur each year in the UK, and this is projected to increase to 7,000 by 2050. Central Bedfordshire’s growing elderly population (which is set to increase by 56% by 2035) are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness.

Sewer networks lack sufficient capacity to cope with the heavier rainfall that climate change is expected to bring, and new building developments in Central Bedfordshire are adding to this risk by increasing the flow of waste water into sewage systems.

Trends

A warming planet

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a report warning that if the planet warmed by 1.5C there would be devastating consequences. The planet is currently heading for 3-4C warming.

Flood events

A 1 in 100 year flood event is expected to occur 1 in 63 years in the 2050s and 1 in 48 years in the 2080s; becoming roughly twice as likely.

Net zero

The UK has become the first major UK economy to pass net zero emissions by law. The current target will require the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Flood zones

At present, over 5,000 homes and 200,000m2 of commercial floor space in Central Bedfordshire are located within Flood Zone 2.