Inland Waterways Advisory Council Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR INLAND WATERWAYS IN ENGLAND AND WALES 

In 2009, IWAC received a grant from Defra to research and publish evidence of how inland waterways in England and Wales can assist in mitigating for and adapting to the effects of climate change. Current projections suggest that, by 2080, changes in climate will occur that will affect inland waterways and their management. Changes may include greater winter rainfall, drier summers, higher temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. Secondary effects may include changes in sediment run-off, transport and accumulation and changes in flora and fauna.

This scoping report highlights the ‘most likely’ impacts of climate change and the potential consequences for inland waterways in England and Wales. It then identifies and assesses a range of potentially appropriate measures through which

• changes in use of the waterways could contribute to reducing the extent of climate change (mitigation); and

• management of waterways may be modified to prepare for the anticipated effects of climate change (adaptation).