Topic 3 Personal safety responses to climate change adaptation
Case study: Quarteira Lab
Name the Protagonist:
City of York Council (United Kingdom)
What is their Story?
Access to specific information about climate risks, climate change and the ways individuals can adapt is key to create truly ‘climate-proof’ communities. Through the Yorkshire Flood Resilience project, the City of York is working with partners and communities, across Yorkshire, to raise awareness of the risks they face from flooding and to promote greater understanding of how they can take action to protect their homes, businesses and properties.
The project aims to raise awareness on measures that can reduce the risk of flood damage to properties, and how to recover from that enabling people to move back into their properties after flooding. In this sense, the city is adopting measures to make homes or businesses less vulnerable to flooding. Including preventing, delaying or limiting the amount of water that can enter houses and properties, allowing people more time to move their belongings above ground level and move their family and pets to safe places.
Other examples include the use of materials, products and building techniques to better adapt houses and properties with the objective to minimise the damage caused if flood water enters. This approach helps reduce permanent damage and it speeds up recovery after a flood.
The project website explains how property flood resilience works and shows the measures people can take to prevent it. It also presents case studies and videos about home and business owners who have adopted flood resilience measures for their properties, as well as articles, blogs lead by flood resilience experts, links to useful websites and other resources.
Link to the Case Study:
Why is this a Good Example to Follow?
This case study presents vital information on how to assess the type of risks we are exposed to; it presents measures that can prevent or reduce those risks; and it informs about practical examples of successful adaptation actions that have been implemented. The tools and resources presented can be adapted to other types of climate risks. This is a good example of community-based adaptation practices as an inspiration to individuals to take action on local adaptation.
How can you use this Case Study to Adapt to Climate Change?
This is a good example of how widespread access to practical information can help individuals adapt to climate risks and be prepare for the effects of climate change. It also brings together lots of information on measures to adapt to specific risks and, more generally, it illustrates how we can all contribute to build more resilient communities.
What impact has this case study example achieved?
The actions promoted in the context of the project reveal the importance of involving the various stakeholders at the local community level and how individuals can promote and deliver climate action on a local scale.
What impact has this case study example achieved?
The website shows that it is possible to protect yourself and your family and home or business from the stress, worry, disruption and cost of flooding.
Questions
Set of reflection questions:
- Question 1 – What are the main factors that can give rise to flood risks?
- Question 2 – What kind of adaptation measures could decrease flood risks?
- Question 3 – And in your region, is there this kind of information available on climate risks and the ways in which you can adapt?
Case study: Video
Debriefing Questions (after the video)
| Q. No | Questions |
|---|---|
| Question 1: | How can access to information help us improve our security to climate risks? |
| Question 2: | Apart from this type of information, what other knowledge or resources (financial, material, technical, human) will be needed to adapt to climate risks? |
| Question 3: | Thinking about the main climate risks in your region, what kind of behaviours and adaptation measures could you adopt to reduce your exposure to these risks? |