Attendees
| Mark Rice | Environment Agency (Chair) |
| Liza Oxford | Plymouth City Council |
| Doug Eltham | Devon County Council (Environment) |
| Claire Below | Cornwall Council |
| Sara Gibbs | Public Health Devon |
| Stephanie Bamforth | National Trust |
| Louise Sawyer | Devon and Cornwall Police |
| Richard Sweatman | DCIoS Local Resilience Forum |
| George Arnison | Environment Agency |
| Rebecca Williams | Council of the Isles of Scilly |
| Kathryn Deeney | Plymouth City Council |
| Victoria Hatfield | Exeter City Council |
| Rhys Hobbs | Cornwall Council |
1. Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as an accurate record. As Emily was unable to attend the meeting at short-notice, these actions were carried-over:
Action: Emily to highlight that more needs to be done to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases to the Devon Food Partnership.
Action: Emily to add World Zoonoses day to the communications plan as an opportunity to raise awareness.
2. Review of Risks CIG 49 – 55
Risk 49 and 50 – It was decided to leave the scores as they are and revisit them after the release of the National Flood Risk Assessment in the new year.
Risk 51, which concerns risks to businesses from water scarcity, was reviewed with consideration of recent developments such as Southwest Water’s management plan and the IPCC’s latest climate projections. Richard highlighted past near-crisis situations and the potential for future water scarcity issues, especially in agriculture. Despite these concerns, the group decided that the current score of major risk remains appropriate, as there was no strong evidence to suggest an immediate need for change. The variability in water availability and ongoing mitigation efforts by Southwest Water were also noted.
Risk 52, which concerns risks and opportunities to finance, investment, and insurance, was discussed with no significant new information to suggest a change in the current risk assessment. Victoria mentioned a new local investment pot for sustainability projects, which could potentially reduce the likelihood of this risk. However, Louise noted that insurance companies are increasingly asking for detailed information on climate change mitigation efforts, which could make access to insurance more challenging if businesses are not adequately prepared. Given these mixed insights, the group decided to leave the risk assessment unchanged.
Risk 53 concerns reduced employee productivity due to climate change. The group discussed the balance between improved remote working capabilities and the potential increase in work interruptions. While technology has advanced, the frequency of climate-related disruptions might negate these improvements. Consequently, the group decided to leave the risk assessment unchanged. It was suggested to revisit this risk after the Heat and Health Local Resilience Forum workshop in the New Year to incorporate any new insights or data that might emerge from that event.
The group reviewed risk 54, which pertains to business disruptions from supply chain and distribution network issues, currently rated as major. They decided to leave the risk assessment unchanged, pending future studies.
The group reviewed risk 55, which involves opportunities for businesses due to changes in demand for goods and services, currently rated as 3 and 3. They noted an anecdote about a vineyard benefiting from a warming climate but had no additional substantial information. Consequently, they decided to leave the risk assessment unchanged.
The discussion highlighted the need for more concrete data to justify any changes in the risk rating.
No new risks were identified to be added to the register.
The group agreed to feed back to the climate partnerships that they are expecting the National Flood Risk Assessment (NAFRA) to be published in the new year. This update is anticipated to provide significant insights into flood risks for communities across Devon and Cornwall.
ACTION: George will provide a paragraph summarizing this information for circulation.
3. Climate Adaptation Communications Planning
The discussion on climate adaptation communications planning revolved around the draft calendar of social media and newsletter posts prepared by Emily. The goal is to collaborate on coordinated and targeted climate adaptation messaging starting from January, aligning some posts with national action days and weeks.
Key Points:
- Support and Participation: Victoria expressed support for the initiative and indicated that the City Council would likely participate. She emphasized the importance of balancing messages about necessary actions with positive news stories to avoid a negative tone.
- Content and Themes: Sara highlighted the need for positive, action-oriented communications. She suggested ensuring that heat-related messaging is included, especially after the upcoming workshop in February.
- Coordination and Implementation: George raised concerns about the practical implementation of the plan, suggesting that simply sharing the spreadsheet with comms teams might not be effective. He proposed identifying specific organizations to lead on each theme to ensure more focused and coordinated efforts.
- Lead Organizations: Mark supported the idea of having lead organizations for each theme, which would allow for better planning and coordination of communications. This approach would enable other organizations to support by reposting and amplifying the messages.
- Cross-Referencing with Existing Plans: Victoria suggested cross-referencing the communications plan with the Devon Carbon Plan to ensure all relevant themes are covered, such as transport, land, food, and energy supply.
- Customization and Flexibility: Rhys mentioned that Cornwall would integrate the messaging into their comms engagement strategy for the Cornwall adaptation strategy, making it more bespoke and targeted.
Overall, the group showed willingness to participate within their resources, aiming for a coordinated effort to enhance the impact of climate adaptation communications.
ACTION: Emily to consider identifying lead organizations for each theme.
ACTION: Participants to discuss the plan with their comms teams and determine the best approach for their organizations.
ACTION: Emily to ensure the plan aligns with the Devon Carbon Plan and includes all relevant themes.
4. Any Other Business
Face-to-Face Meeting on December 16th:
George inquired about the face-to-face meeting scheduled for December 16th in Plymouth. Doug confirmed that the meeting is still happening and encouraged participants to respond to the meeting invite. He mentioned that Emily is working on the agenda and will send it out soon.
Chronic Risks Assessment:
Richard mentioned that the government has released a chronic risks assessment, which includes a section on climate change. However, the document is marked as official sensitive, limiting its circulation. He suggested that those with access to Resilience Direct, like Mark, could review it to see if there are relevant insights for the group.
ACTION: Mark agreed to look into it and advise at the next meeting.
