Climate Change

Land managers are literally on the front-line of climate change and are having to adapt already to changes in weather patterns. Earlier sowing and longer growing seasons, the need for increased water storage for droughtier summers coupled with problems caused by increased winter flooding in some areas, are some of the changes land managers are having to face. The CLA accepts climate change as a challenge and an opportunity for rural businesses.

We were the first land-based organisation to look at climate change from a land management perspective and in 2001 published a ground-breaking report – Climate Change and the Rural Economy which identified how climate change would impact on rural businesses, what the adaptation and mitigation options were for these businesses and what policy changes were required to move these options forward. This document became the catalyst for setting up the Defra High Level Rural Climate Change Forum in 2003 which is chaired by the Environment Minister, Ian Pearson and attended by the CLA president and other farmer and environmental organisations. The High-Level Forum meets quarterly to discuss and move rural climate change issues forward by identifying, proposing and promoting practical actions and policy options including the uptake of research findings.

Following the 2001 report the CLA has been part of further work investigating the climate change impacts on rural land estates in Europe – in a report "Climate Change and the European Countryside 2006" or "CLIO Report" which was also used to test the application of an on-farm greenhouse gas audit, or CALM (Carbon Accounting for Land Managers) tool. We are now in the process of further developing this tool so we can provide an easy to use web-based calculator that will be free and available at this site in summer 07 – watch this space. The methodology for the CALM tool has been verified by experts, and uses annual farm data, including amount of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser applied, type of livestock, land use change, areas of forestry to calculate a farm’s carbon balance. Advice on ways of reducing your emissions, and hopefully your costs will also be available.

We are involved in a number of industry groups covering communication of climate change awareness to land managers and taking a closer look at mitigation options.

1. The Climate Change Communication Project is funded by Defra, with Forum for the Future, NFU, and Applied Research Forum (representing the seven levy boards). The aim of the project is to raise awareness of climate change to farmers and to do this we have produced 14 Fact Sheets on climate change, such as What is Climate Change and How WILL it affect Agriculture? and Climate Change: Focus on Diary. There are also six Case Studies of farmers highlighting how they are adapting to climate change – e.g. by changing soil management on the farm to using renewable energy to heat a plant nursery business. This and other information can be found at www.farmingfutures.org.uk, and we highly recommend a look.
2. The Industry High-Level Climate ChangeTask Force is a joint initiative between the CLA, NFU and AIC to take a closer look at greenhouse gas mitigation options for land management businesses, including agriculture and forestry. A report will be published later this year.

CLA is very active on renewable energy – more information on the Renewable Energy page

News

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4 th assessment report published - link http://www.ipcc.ch/WG1_SPM_17Apr07.pdf

The draft Climate Change Bill was published in March 07. Essentially, it is proposing that a statutory target be set for the Government to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050 by moving to a low-carbon economy.

To do this the draft Bill proposes:

• Establishing a credible emissions pathway to 2050, starting with five-year budgetary periods, the first three of which run to 2022, beginning with the first commitment period agreed at Kyoto (2008-2012).
• Establishing a new independent body, the Committee on Climate Change, to work with the Government on how to reduce emissions over time and across economies
• Powers to provide additional means with which to achieve emissions reductions (taxes, regulation and trading)
• A clear accountability framework, in particular in relation to Government’s reporting to Parliament on mitigation and adaptation.

The CLA is currently putting together a response, with consultation with CLA members and experts, which should be published shortly. Click here to view the Draft Climate Change Bill

Consultations

Voluntary Code on Carbon offsetting

Climate change and planning