Bristol is facing more heatwaves, floods and droughts as the climate continues to heat up, according to a new action plan. Bristol City Council’s new climate emergency action plan details what work will be done to cut carbon emissions and make the city more resilient.
Melting roads, buckling railways, heavy floods in winter and long droughts in summer could cause havoc to Bristol, unless urgent action is taken across the world to cut carbon emissions, according to the action plan. But a lot of work is taking place within Bristol.
As well as work to reduce how much greenhouse gases the city emits, much of the focus is now on making Bristol more resilient to the worse effects of climate change. This includes building new flood defences, and helping vulnerable people most at risk from killer heatwaves.
Read more: Bristol mayor will travel to Egypt for climate summit to raise cash from investors
Councillor Kye Dudd, cabinet member for climate, said: “The climate emergency and the required speed and extent of action means we all need to play our part and coordinate with others. This action plan describes what Bristol City Council is doing to lead the way to a carbon neutral Bristol and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“We want to inspire others by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions within our control. We also want to help the city make progress in areas of work where we are the lead body or can convene and engage with people to make action happen.”
The action plan explores what could happen in several scenarios, depending on whether global emissions reduce or continue to increase as they are currently. A recent report from the United Nations said the world is on track for 2.8 degrees warming, far higher than the 1.5 degree target, which will have catastrophic consequences for people all over the world.
The action plan said: “By 2080 when today’s schoolchildren will be retiring, summer rainfall could have reduced by up to 62% while winter rainfall may have increased by up to 51%. Bristol’s coastline could have seen a rise in sea level of 72 centimetres and maximum summer temperatures could have become 8.9 degrees hotter.”
Many parks and lawns in Bristol this summer turned from green to brown as grass struggled with the extreme heat and lack of rain. Weather stations recorded the hottest ever temperatures in the city in July and many people sought refuge in wild swimming spots like Conham River Park, despite a council byelaw making swimming in the Avon illegal.
According to the climate action plan, impacts of killer heatwaves include “decreased worker productivity, highways, open spaces under pressure, and spikes in hospital admissions and mortality”. The council said it was taking action to make Bristol more resilient to extreme heat by making a map showing the areas most vulnerable to heatwaves.
While a map helps identify where areas are most at risk, like Lawrence Hill for example, it’s unclear how this will help vulnerable people cope with extreme temperatures. Also adding to the heat problem is developers often cutting down trees in Bristol without planning permission to do so, with councillors and campaigners warning the city has a reputation for lax protections.
Another growing risk facing the city is flooding, mainly from tidal surges in the Avon. About 1,200 properties are already at risk of flooding from the Avon, and this number is expected to more than triple over the next century. This is due to climate change causing sea levels to rise and increasing the frequency of extreme storms.
Thousands of new homes are planned for parts of the city at risk of flooding, including in St Phillip’s and near the Cumberland Basin. Huge new flood defences are also planned, costing about £216 million over the next decade, but council chiefs still need to find more than a third of this funding and last month warned floods and rising sea levels are a “humongous threat”.
Elsewhere, the council is spending £12 million replacing street lights with energy efficient bulbs, and £97 million making council housing more energy efficient and installing solar panels on some roofs. A major deal with Ameresco, an American company, will launch this year and is expected to see £424 million spent on energy efficiency and generating renewable energy.
On transport, the council is replacing its smaller vans and cars with electric ones, however it is still buying new larger vehicles with diesel engines due to the high cost of electric vehicles. Some work is also taking place to improve walking, cycling and bus routes. Four new train stations are planned, at Portway, Ashley Down, Henbury and North Filton.
Latest data on greenhouse gases shows that emissions from cars dropped by 20% in 2020, as lockdown saw many drivers stay at home. The reduction was larger than the whole previous decade, although emissions have likely shot back up since coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
Last week, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said he would travel to Egypt for the COP27 climate summit, to raise cash from investors to pay for carbon-cutting projects. He said he would be representing not only Bristol but “cities all over the world”. The summit began on Sunday, November 6, and will see world leaders attempt to agree policies on curbing emissions.
Read next
- Bristol areas which 'could be underwater' by 2050
- Bristol Airport Flyer bus blockaded by teenage Extinction Rebellion activists
- Two Bristol women 'deliberately get jailed' over Just Stop Oil campaign
- Huge solar farm approved near Frampton Cottrell
- Boost to climate projects across West of England as millions of pounds in investment agreed
