FOUR DEGREES OF PREPARATION
Greater Manchester plans for adaptation

A 4°C increase in global temperature was once touted as a worst-case scenario: something we may experience at the close of the 21st century.

Now it’s looking like reality, as global carbon emissions continue to accelerate and emissions reductions targets are missed. In fact, research suggests it may even happen as soon as the 2060s.

As our climate warms and sea levels rise, extreme weather events occur more frequently with devastating consequences: over the last thirty years, the majority of Europe’s catastrophic events have been climate related, with huge economic costs.

And Greater Manchester is no different. Our region is already changing, broadly in line with the direction of the future climate projections. By 2050, Greater Manchester’s annual mean temperature could have increased by as much as 3.6°C, with our winters 36% wetter and summers 36% drier.

We need to begin building resilience to the impacts of climate change, ensuring the stability of our society, our financial economy and the natural economy that sustains our daily lives.

It is now time for Greater Manchester to begin adapting to four degrees and beyond.