Climate adaptation

What factors influence climate risk?

Climate risk results from the interaction between 3 main factors; existence of a climate hazard (such as flooding, extreme temperatures), exposure of a population, activity or building to the hazard (e.g. their proximity to a river or sea that may pose flood risk) and vulnerability of the population, activity or building to the hazard.

Climate risks ultimately then produce impacts (e.g. damage to property, disruption to transport infrastructure) which can harm people and services.

Climate vulnerability itself is influenced by the sensitivity of the environment or the people impacted. This means the degree to which it is affected by certain hazards. Vulnerability is also affected by the ability of the environment or people to adjust to the impact of climate change. We know that many people will be more vulnerable to climate change than others.

This includes:

• Those living with health conditions that make it harder for them to regulate body temperature such as older people and under 5’s.
• Those who are socially isolated or have not lived in an area for a long period. The lack of support networks or contacts through friends, family and community services can mean they are less aware of climate hazards and the support available to help protect them from the risk.
• Those on lower incomes who may live in properties and local areas that are less resilient to climate hazards like extreme heat and flooding, and lack the finances to improve their protection against these.
• People who have limited mobility, making it harder for them to evacuate or move when a climate hazard occurs. 

How do we identify the climate risks for Colchester?

We have looked at past events that have impacted Colchester, such as flooding, incidences of extreme weather and storms. We have also looked at data from the Met Office which provides projections of different weather indicators (such as temperature and rainfall levels) into the future based on different levels of greenhouse gases produced from different activities like energy production, food production, use of transport and more. 

The Met Office have produced a helpful summary of future climate and the risks that it can pose for Colchester. View further information..