Climate change
We recognise climate related risks and opportunities on our services and adapt our business accordingly whilst delivering our obligations to mitigate climate change and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change in the North West
Rainfall
Annual average rainfall has not changed significantly, however year-to-year variability has increased, with more dry and wet years.
Extreme events
Evidence demonstrates that climate change has exacerbated and will continue to exacerbate extreme rainfall and storm events, as well as increase the likelihood of heatwaves.
Seasonal variation
Seasonal changes in the North West are projected to be greater than those for England and Wales, with much wetter winters and, under some scenarios, much hotter and drier summers.
Evaporation
The amount of water lost to evaporation is likely to have increased, putting increasing pressure on water resources during spring and summer and potentially increasing the demand for outdoor water use.
River flows
Winter river flows have increased in almost all catchments, with significant upward trends in 10 of the 14 river basins, and a reduction in flows during spring in most catchments.
Sea level
By 2100, under the likely warming scenarios (3°C–
5°C), sea level at Liverpool is projected to rise between 0.3–1.0m.
Climate change has been a subject of strategic and operational focus for us for over two decades. The impact of the environment on our activities, and the impact of our activities on the environment influences how we deliver water and wastewater services to customers.
Already, we are seeing the effects of climate change on the region’s weather, with increasing summer temperatures, wetter winters and more extreme rainfall events.
With these trends set to continue, unless we take action there will be increasing impact on the services we provide to the communities we serve.
The climate crisis threatens the ecosystems on which we rely in order to provide reliable, affordable, essential services to customers. Recognising this challenge, we are committed to mitigating our contribution to further climate change and to adapting iteratively to the changes we experience.
Our approach to climate change, therefore, follows a twin track approach:
Adaptation
We use scenario analysis in our business planning and risk assessments to inform our adaptation plan to improve our resilience to the effects of climate change
Mitigation
We minimise our contribution to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through, for example, our energy and land management strategies.
The twin track approach
