Devon Climate Emergency Climate Impacts Group minutes 13th January 2020. Click here to view a PDF of the minutes.
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Attendees
Neil Hamlyn Local Resilience Forum (departed 10:45)
Helen Dobby Environment Agency
Doug Eltham Devon County Council
Richard Merrifield Public Health Devon
Rebecca Mitchell University of Exeter
Lesley Newport Environment Agency
James Cooper Environment Agency
Peter Chamberlain Devon County Council
Dave Watkins Cornwall Council
Emily Reed Devon Climate Emergency Project Manager
Ellie Rowlands Devon Climate Emergency Communications Intern
Penny Tranter Met Office
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Apologies
Dave Trevains Environment Agency
Tom Cunningham Devon and Cornwall Police
Ruth Rockley Cornwall Council
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1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Minutes accepted as true record
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2. Welcome of Helen Dobby as the new Chair
Helen Dobby formally took over as the Chair of the Climate Impacts Group and thanked Paul Netherton, Devon and Cornwall Police, for his leadership to date.
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3. Terms of Reference
Doug Eltham introduced the draft, revised Terms of Reference reflecting the need to cement the geography of the group, incorporate the ecological emergency and clarify the purpose of the group.
Dave Watkins advised that Mark Holmes should comment for Cornwall Council.
The group AGREED the Terms of Reference subject to Doug Eltham discussing with Mark Holmes at Cornwall Council.
ACTION: Doug Eltham to discuss the Terms of Reference with Mark Holmes.
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4. Secretariat Support for the Group
Wendy Harding at the Environment Agency, Helen Dobby’s PA, can help. Emily Reed, the Devon Climate Emergency Project Manager can also assist. It was AGREED to split duties so that Wendy will arrange meetings, prepare agendas and whilst Emily will facilitate the group between meetings and take future minutes.
ACTION: Helen Dobby to put Emily Reed and Wendy Harding in touch.
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5. Current Activity Update – Initial Review of Climate Risks
Peter Chamberlain gave an update on what had been agreed and started previously.
a. Met Office – Climate Projections
Document is drafted. Peter will provide comments on points of detail to Penny Tranter. Met Office has undertaken further regional work on climate change and Penny will incorporate this is into the document in the next couple of weeks.
ACTION: Penny Tranter to finalise climate projections document.
b. Devon and Cornwall Police – Chapter Template
Progress uncertain as Lindy Woodage was not on the call.
ACTION: Doug Eltham to determine progress with Lindy Woodage.
c. Environment Agency – Water Environment and Flood Risk
Progress uncertain as Dave Trevains was not on the call.
ACTION: Doug Eltham to determine progress with Dave Trevains.
d. Public Health England – Health
Richard Merrifield reported that the annual Public Health Devon report focussed on Planetary Health this year. This document could be useful for the health narrative.
ACTION: Richard Merrifield will speak with Sara Gibbs (Consultant in Public Health with Devon Public Health) about conversations she has had with Nick Young of Public Health England.
e. Devon Local Nature Partnership (LNP) – Natural Environment
Whilst this work is being focused on Devon, it will have relevance for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Through the Devon LNP, Devon County Council has commissioned the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) to review the likely implications of climate change on Devon’s natural environment. This contract began in mid-March. A rapid evidence review is underway. The intention had been to develop this work through the Devon LNP conference that was due to take place in late March via a specific workshop. Clearly this had to be cancelled so we need to find a way to get the input of others into the WRT’s outputs.
The draft output is expected in May, but this will need broader input from other Devon LNP and Local Resilience Forum partners.
Lesley Newport and James Cooper to consider how the Environment Agency could assist to think across these topics to join these things up.
ACTION: Lesley Newport and Pete Chamberlain will to discuss how the Environment Agency can assist.
f. Social, Political and Economic Risks – University of Exeter
This section is awaiting the drafting of the other sections.
g. Timetable for Completion of the Initial Risk Review
It was AGREED to keep the 15th May as a target date for the first draft of the narrative documents. These will then be given to Rebecca Mitchell to start work on the society, political and economic review.
James Cooper ask if risks relating to food and water will be incorporated? Peter Chamberlain suggested that water will be picked up by the Environment Agency under its narrative. Food would be picked up by the University narrative.
The un-managed risks emerging from the initial reviews can be prioritised for subsequent action as part of the Adaptation Plan, through which further work strands and resources to implement them will need to be identified.
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6. Timetable to Produce the Adaptation Plan
ACTION: Emily Reed and Doug Eltham to draft a timetable to share with the group via email for comment and agree at the next meeting.
This timetable will need to be endorsed by the governance bodies of the climate emergency projects in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
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7. Frequency of Meetings
It was AGREED that meetings will be scheduled monthly.
ACTION: Wendy Harding to schedule meetings on MS Teams.
ACTION: Doug Eltham to set up a SharePoint document repository.
