Climate Change, COP27 and a review of 2022 It seems a long time since we were at COP26 in Glasgow, but after a winter of damaging storms and summer of record-breaking heat here in Cumbria and extreme weather events around the world, the need to do something about climate change is ever more pressing. Expand Kate Willshaw, Friends of the Lake District Policy Officer writes The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 gets underway this week and the world is focused once again on climate change. 2022 fits in the pattern of one of the warmest years on record since the last Ice Age despite this being a La Niña year which would usually see temperatures being cooler than usual: Eight warmest years record witness upsurge climage change impacts. It seems a long time since Friends of the Lake District was at COP26 in Glasgow last year (pictured), but after a winter of damaging storms and summer of record-breaking heat here in Cumbria and extreme weather events around the UK and world, the need to do something about climate change looks ever more pressing and we continue to work with others on trying to reduce emissions and increase landscape resilience. Storm Arwen in late November last year caused huge damage to our electrical infrastructure, and many people in the county were left without power for days. Thousands of trees were lost in the storm, dramatically altering much-loved landscapes across Cumbria. Image left: A tree down in Storm Arwen, photo, James Bentley. An Ambleside resident writes movingly of the impact on the community, sadly highlighting the loss of life that these events can cause here: Reflections on Storm Arwen. In July 2022 a heatwave exacerbated the already poor water quality in Windermere, expanding the blue green algal blooms across the lake. Heat records were smashed by more than 2 degrees Celsius at 6 of Cumbria’s official Met Office weather stations and by 3.6*C at Levens Hall. The magnitude of the change in records cannot be overstated, normally temperature records are only broken by tenths of a degree. Max temperatures Tuesday 19th July 2022 (in degrees C) Pre-July 2022 Record temperatures(degrees C) CUMBRIA Carlisle 34.5 32.4 Keswick 34.3 30.8 Shap 32.8 30.1 Levens Hall 34.8 31.2 Isle of Walney 33.9 30.8 Weather records are falling on a yearly basis, demonstrating that climate change is happening here and now in Cumbria. The landscape, environment and communities are all feeling the effects, and many people are left wondering what will be next fearing storms, floods and suffering in the heat. Friends of the Lake District is working closely with Zero Carbon Cumbria, the Lake District National Park Partnership, the Local Nature Partnership and others to look for landscape and nature-based solutions to adapt to and mitigate climate change and also how to reduce climate emissions from transport and domestic and business buildings through increasing take up of solar panels and changes to the way visitors and residents travel across the county. We will also continue to campaign against high-carbon emitting developments such as the Whitehaven Coal Mine and the A66 upgrade. We hope to see positive outcomes from COP27, because unless the major polluters step up and start taking action, things for people and nature here in Cumbria, the UK and across the world will continue to become more difficult because of extreme weather events. Meanwhile we will continue to do what we can to help protect the landscape of Cumbria and the Lake District from the worst ravages of climate change.
Cumbria's flooding events Cumbria's floods in 2015 and 2019 were the worst for 558 years (from sediment analysis on the bed of Bassenthwaite). Expand Cumbria’s flooding events in 2015 and 2019 were the worst for 558 years (from sediment analysis on the bed of Bassenthwaite). On 5 December 2015 the most destructive storm ever recorded in Cumbria struck, washing away numerous bridges, and even roads, devastating towns and villages and flooding 50,000 homes in Cumbria (see our Rising film for the story of Storm Desmond in Glenridding). Following that devastating day, we launched our Cumbria Flood appeal, to raise money to help the restoration operation. We've rounded up some of the news and events following the storm, the projects we've helped to fund and activities we've organised; all designed to help with the recovery and to improve resilience for future events. Read it here. Read more: Storm Desmond: study says flooding was 'largest in 600 years' Floods in 2009 and 2015 were worst in Cumbria for centuries – study Read more about Friends of the Lake District's work on flooding issues in the Five years since Storm Desmond
Spring Spring 2019 was an amazing year for displays of our native bluebells, when cold winds kept temperatures down for a while longer than in recent years, but what is the general trend for seasonal change, and what does it mean for native plants? Expand Spring 2019 was an amazing year for displays of our native bluebells, when cold winds kept temperatures down for a while longer than in recent years. Sadly though, the Woodland Trust’s ‘Nature’s Calendar’ monitoring (the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, in relation to climate and plant and animal life), with over 200,000 records between 1998-2014, including from sites across Cumbria, is showing that trees are budding and leafing earlier with increasing temperatures (3-6 days in the north for every 1 degree C temperature rise). Some of our native plants including the bluebells may suffer as the woodland canopy closes earlier, blocking out the light before they can flower and reproduce.
More Midges! We can’t rely on flood defences alone to prevent coastal and inland flooding. We need to alter management of land to ‘slow the flow,’ restoring river flood plains, peatbogs and soils. But what will creating more wetlands mean? Expand We now realise we can’t rely on building hard infrastructure alone to prevent coastal and inland flooding. We need to alter the management of our land to ‘slow the flow,’ restoring river flood plains, peatbogs and soils, and allow managed ‘retreat’ along the coastline. Creating more wetland habitats will be hugely beneficial to help reverse the declines in many wildlife species, such as the curlew and lapwing in Cumbria. This will also increase the number of mosquitoes causing increased levels of nuisance and potential diseases from infected bites. How will this affect our outdoor recreational enjoyment in future? (Summer evening BBQs?!). Many of these secondary consequences of how we respond to the impacts of climate change on our landscape are difficult to predict, but it is useful to think through the potential positives and negatives to inform our decision-making.
How will climate change affect visitor behaviour? Will unbearable temperatures in southern Europe encourage more UK or Cumbria ‘staycations,’ with warmer, drier summers at home? Or will wetter winters, increased storminess and perceptions of danger in flood damaged areas put visitors off? Expand There is much speculation and many conflicting views! Will unbearable temperatures in southern European and equator countries encourage more UK or Cumbria ‘staycations,’ supported by warmer, drier summers at home? Or will wetter winters, increased storminess and perceptions of danger in continually flood damaged areas put visitors off? Research findings show that the relationship between the impact of climate change and visitor behaviour is much more complex! Climate Change and the Visitor Economy research in the north west found that visitors in the region are fairly resilient to weather (eg. availability of better, affordable outdoor clothing), with socio-economic variables such as educational background, household incomes and marketing or the brand of the tourism destination, considered much more influential in determining behaviour. Inevitably as winter snow cover decreases there will be reductions in winter activities – ice climbing, snow-ball fighting (!) and skiing. Where access is lost or restricted, for example, due to erosion of rights of way, damage to stiles or bridges or wildfire risk restrictions, visitors will be displaced to enjoy other places. Evidence following the damage Storm Desmond caused to nearly a fifth of the public rights of way network in the Lake District, showed visitor numbers temporarily fell, due to adverse publicity, extensive closures and repair works. Image: Storm clouds over Derwent Water by Jill Brown
Montane and Arctic Alpine Habitats Increased winter rainfall and milder conditions may adversely affect our native arctic species. Expand In England there is only 2,300 hectares of montane habitat (an ecosystem found in mountains), which need a colder environment to thrive, and grows at higher altitudes (600+ metres) above the current natural tree-line. In the Lake District, due to historic over-grazing, recreational trampling and nitrogen deposition (nitrogen from the atmosphere entering the soils via rain) this habitat has declined to smaller patches and is fragmented, making it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Increased average temperatures could result in a loss of suitable conditions for key species such as dwarf willow, trailing azalea, dwarf-shrubs such as lichens and mosses. A longer growing season may also increase the growth of grasses and shrub species that can out-compete slower growing montane heathland species, especially mosses and lichens. This could lead to the local extinction of the beautiful mountain ringlet butterfly, which, in England, is only found in the Lake District. Increased winter rainfall and milder conditions may adversely affect our native arctic species, such as alpine forget-me-not, which thrive under winter snow cover but cannot withstand longer periods of damp conditions. Drier ground conditions in summer increase the susceptibility of wildfires, and greater peat and soil erosion again damaging vulnerable montane habitats. Montane habitats are extensive in the Scottish highlands, but in England are significant because they are at the southern-most limit of their range in Britain. ….Morally, emotionally, and practically do we try to keep these upland habitats going in Cumbria? Image: Mountain ringlet butterfly by Pete Barron, John Muir Trust
Upland Oak Woodlands The internationally important upland oak dominated woodlands found in valleys such as Borrowdale, Coniston and Ullswater are our ‘temperate rainforest’. Expand The internationally important upland oak dominated woodlands found in valleys such as Borrowdale, Coniston and Ullswater are our ‘temperate rainforest’. They are vitally important for the abundance of distinctive plant and animal communities, particularly, the rich diversity of ferns, bryophytes (mosses) and lichens which depend upon the cool, wet climate we get in the northwest. Warmer, drier summers with increased drought conditions could result in a significant decline of these ecologically significant plant species which all help in water purification, carbon storage and slowing the flow of rainwater. Rising year-round temperatures will also push the range of woodlands higher up the fells where thinner soils are more vulnerable to landslide and gullying erosion, and wind blow of the trees is increased (trees blown completely over or uplifted at the roots, also trunks or branches snapped off). More frequent, extreme storm events add to these pressures. We might also see greater winter survival of mammal pests, such as deer and grey squirrels, leading to reduced tree regeneration and loss of the valuable ground flora. … These woodlands are the last surviving fragments of an enormous ancient forest that once stretched all the way down the west coast of Britain and Ireland. We can’t afford to lose any more!