Local Climate Impacts
What's the project?
Scotland Northern Ireland Forum for Environment Research (SNIFFER) is running a pilot project on behalf of the Scottish Climate Change Impacts Partnership (SCCIP) on Local Climate Impact Profiles (LCIP). Perth & Kinross Council is one of the four pilot authorities in the project, which will run between March and September 2008.
How can I help?
You can help by sharing your experience of weather events over a five year period (2002 to 2007) or by providing weather data local to your part of Perth & Kinross for the same period. If you want to share your experience or weather data with us email your interest to developmentplan@pkc.gov.uk.
What is an LCLIP?
A Local Climate Impacts Profile (LCLIP) is a resource that Local Authorities can draw together in order to understand their exposure to severe weather events and the effects of changes in weather patterns for their locality.
What is the idea behind it?
The idea of an LCLIP is to provide a framework for compiling information about weather events and impacts on local authority services. Until now (and with some exceptions) we have not routinely required information about weather patterns for service and resource planning. Nor has past weather been recorded and analysed as a matter of course. The weather has largely been a backdrop to our services and activities. As weather events become more intrusive, there effects need to be understood and prepared for in order that we can continue to deliver high quality services in Perth and Kinross.
What information will it be based on?
The Perth & Kinross LCLIP is based on information about severe weather events and their consequences in the region and in particular on our assets, services, staff and responsibilities over the period 2002 to 2007. The information in the first instance will come from media sources.
Why use media sources?
Gathering news reports from local media sources is a relatively easy way of starting an LCLIP and obtaining information that is not routinely recorded by most local authorities. Newspaper stories provided a starting point for:
- exploring the effects of severe weather on the Council and Perth and Kinross more generally, and for
- investigating more complex weather and climate data sources.
When developing the concept, UKCIP envisaged that an LCLIP would include information on Council practices that have altered as a result of more gradual weather changes, for example, with increases in average temperatures and changed rainfall patterns which can result in extensions to the growing season. Whilst many of our frontline staff have noticed these changes, it is difficult to find consistent and long-term records of activities (i.e. outings of gritting lorries, increased frequency of grass cutting or reduced heating bills) that reflect such changes in operational practice. The LCLIP will help us identfy those changes and establish a means of montoring them in the future.
How many stages are there in the process?
There are four stages to assembling an LCLIP:
Stage one: to research journalistic sources
Stage two: to explore with Council staff the consequences of weather events and responses to it
Stage three: to assemble relevant information about future weather and climate and the impacts on services
Stage four: to make historical comparisons
What stage have you reached?
We have completed stage three of the process and are preparing for stage four.
