Regional Strategies and Climate Change

Current regional strategies don’t go far enough to address how the region should respond to climate change, says a groundbreaking report from the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly.

The research project, undertaken by consultants Arup, Stockholm Environment Institute and Cambridge Econometrics, examines how well current regional strategies deal with climate change.

The findings, explained in the Assembly’s new report “Regional Strategies and Climate Change,” show the Yorkshire and Humber region is unlikely to meet existing regional targets to reduce emissions.

The report also outlines a number of other significant findings that question the effectiveness of current policy approaches and how the direct link can be addressed between economic growth and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

And it gives indications of the changes required to achieve reductions in greenhouse emissions, such as changes in transport patterns, and setting out recommendations to help the region tackle climate change more effectively.

These include:

• Joined up leadership across a wider range of organisations to deliver a consistent message
• Wider communication with policy makers and stakeholders to bring together Yorkshire and Humber’s response to climate change
• Developing a stronger regional evidence base to enable gaps in knowledge to be determined for further research
• Measuring and scrutinising performance to identify issues that may delay policy implementation

Climate change is one of seven landmark issues identified within the Integrated Regional Framework being put together by the Assembly. The report feeds into key work being undertaken by the Assembly’s Sustainable Development Board, Transport Board and Housing Board on ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Arthur Barker, Chair of the Assembly's Sustainable Development Board and the Regional Climate Change Executive Group, said "Climate change is the greatest threat facing us today, as the Stern Review and the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report have shown.”

“The Assembly's report shows that we are not doing enough as a region to reduce emissions or to adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change. We all need to work together if we are to make a real difference and improve people’s lives.”

“By taking a lead, the Assembly has provided the evidence we need to take action and has given us all the opportunity to start addressing this issue seriously."

Copies of the report are being sent out to partner organisations to help inform regional and national policy makers. You can download your copy below.