Planning

Housing Sustainability Matters Number 4 - Coping With Climate Change

London to Marseilles - our climate is changing

Welcome to Marseilles, industrial metropolis on the Med. By 2050, London's average temperature will be the same. Sweltering hot summers, pleasantly mild winters. Surely better than damp, cold London?

Yes, I'd move there. But move the Marseilles climate here? Not such a good idea. We'll get the temperature, but not the weather. Our buildings won't cope, they'll crack, they'll slide, we'll overheat. It'll cost a fortune. Our rains won't go away, they'll intensify. We'll suffer more damp. There'll be flooding, then drought, then flooding... With all that extra energy in the atmosphere, the weather will be more changeable. Our native trees and wildlife will diminish or die out. Marseillaise paradise lost.

Says who?

The UK government's chief scientist, Sir David King. Speaking at the 2004 CIBSE national conference he said that whatever the papers may make out, no serious scientist disputes that climate change is caused by human activity. Only self-delusionists deny anything is happening. The ice caps are melting, sea level is rising, and building in the Thames Gateway? It'll be a gateway to nowhere. London has some serious thinking to do.

Lambeth on sea

When the Romans arrived, they found a small settlement on the north side on the Thames, roughly where Tower 42 (the former Natwest Tower) is now. The south side, particularly the areas now encompassed by Lambeth and Southwark, were pretty soggy and marshy. Street names like 'Lower Marsh' give this away, and 'The Cut', where the Windmill pub testifies to the former nature of North Lambeth's no so terra firma, and the need to drain and pump it, Dutch style.

Building professionals

Our housing stock wasn't built to cope with climate change, but as we carry out work, we can both reduce the contribution of these homes to climate change, and make them more able to cope with the inevitably changing climate. The magnitude of the change will be in part determined by how much we all work to reduce the energy demands of our homes. Energy efficiency makes sense, is cheap to do, is expected of us, and the new sustainable buildings code will promote it further. The specification of class A rated white goods and the use of solar thermal water heating are two straightforward measures which make a big difference. The introduction of solar shading and taking advantage of existing thermal mass will both alter the need to heat or cool a home, making life more comfortable for the occupants. These, and many more measures, all have clear financial and environmental advantages.

People power

We can all reduce our contribution to climate change. 50% of UK Co2 emissions derive from energy use in buildings. So often, reducing your energy use also makes financial sense. All these are free or will pay back quickly:

Switch off the lights and switch to low energy lightbulbs
Dust down your fridge element and turn your fridge setting down
Draft proof windows and doors
Don't invest in any more electric heaters
Stacks of advice at www.est.org.uk
Make a real difference by switching to a green electricity tariff. Find out more on the Good Energy website