Attendees
| Mark Rice Emily Reed Doug Eltham Hannah Oliver Alex Rainbow Charles Ffoulkes Carolyn Cadman Dai Morriss Paul Minshull Rhys Hobbs Richard Saville Sara Gibbs Louise Sawyer Stacy Griffiths Stephen Swabey Penny Tranter | Environment Agency Devon Climate Emergency Devon County Council RSK Cornwall Council RSK South West Water Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Cornwall Council Cornwall Council Cornwall Council Public Health Devon Devon and Cornwall Police Wales & West Utilities  Council of the Isles of Scilly Met Office |
Apologies
| Emmanuelle Marshall Victoria Hatfield Harriet Googe Andrew McArthur Tom Dauben Laurence Couldrick Maria Van Hove Nick Paling Anya Gopfert Neil Hamlyn Ruth Rockley Thomas Cunningham Lesley Newport James Cooper James Kershaw | Plymouth City Council Exeter City Council Environment Agency RSK Environment Agency Westcountry Rivers Trust Public Health, Exeter University and Torbay Council South West Water Environment Agency / Torbay Council Local Resilience Forum Cornwall Council Devon and Cornwall Police Environment Agency Environment Agency Devon County Council |
1. Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as an accurate record.
Actions carried forward:
ACTION: Sara Gibbs to meet with health colleagues to discuss risk CIG41 and feed back to Charles.
2. Climate Change Risk Register and Adaptation Options
The Register
Charles shared the latest version of the risk register. The theme-focussed workshops in October came to agreement on what the magnitude and likelihood scores should be for each of these risks. This has provided risk scores and so we now have a risk rating for each of the risks. These are used to prioritise the risks.
Separate conversations have happened with Open Reach, Wales and West and National Grid.
Further sector-specific workshops have occurred during November to identify the adaptation actions and enabling conditions necessary to implement them.
Signposting
The register now also includes signposting to organisations and resources that are able to assist organisations and communities with various aspects of adaptation delivery. The Group added more during the meeting.
Rhys noted that we need to distinguish between organisations and resources that help prepare to respond to an event once it’s happened, vs assistance that is available to help reduce the likelihood of impacts occurring.
ACTION: All to notify Charles with additional organisations that should be listed, and weblinks where relevant.
3. Adaptation Plan
Adaptation Pathways
The project is developing five example adaptation pathways, highlighting the need to retain flexibility in decision making over extended time periods. These will be presented as diagrams.
Governance
Charles raised the issue of when the Adaptation Plan will next be updated, as it is being prepared for a five year period. Emily said this has not yet been considered, nor has the future operation of this Climate Impacts Group.
ACTION: Emily to schedule a future agenda item to discuss the future of the Group.
Launch and Consultation
Stephen said we’ll need to think about how the regional adaptation plan will be presented alongside the Isles of Scilly and the Cornwall adaptation plans. Shouldn’t be a problem as the local plans demonstrate a bottom-up approach, whilst this regional plan demonstrates a top-down approach. So long as they complement each other, it will work. Rhys agreed.
Doug asked whether Cornwall and Isles of Scilly areas would anticipate a public consultation on the Adaptation Strategy and Plan? Devon would like to do so, but it would be strange to only consult in one area. Stephen said he will air this with decision makers locally and notify Emily about their thoughts. Rhys will do the same in Cornwall.
ACTION: Stephen and Rhys to consult decision makers about a potential public consultation.
4. AOB
2023 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment
Sara asked if there was a need to plan to integrate the 2023 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Charles said it won’t materially affect what is trying to be achieved through the Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan and so it can be considered in the first review of the document.
Use of the term ‘mitigation’
The group had a conversation about climate mitigation and adaptation vs risk mitigation. Charles has consulted the Climate Change Committee and they advise to reserve the word mitigation for greenhouse reduction.
Paul Minshull advised that as professionals working in different sectors we should just be careful to clarify exactly what we mean when we use the word mitigation so that it can’t be confused with greenhouse gas reduction.
Cornwall Climate Change Risk Assessment
Rhys advised that the Cornwall Climate Risk Assessment has been launched and offered to present it to the group at a future session.
ACTION: Emily to schedule a presentation from Rhys.
