UK, New Project help North East’s businesses cope with effects of severe weather
Summary
An innovative project to help the UK North East’s businesses cope with the future effects of severe weather and climate change is launched this week.The Climate Change Adaptation Project, run by Prince of Wales’s charity, Business in the Community (BITC), and funded through regional development agency, ONE North East, has the target to encourage businesses to take action to reduce businesses’ vulnerability to the effects of a sever weather event and ensure they can remain in business after it.In the North East, for example, forecasts predict a rise of some 21% in winter rainfall and in extreme hot temperatures of around 3C with the danger of an increase in flooding from rivers, streams, the sea, and from drainage systems, all causing disruption to road, rail and transport systems.It will offer businesses face to face advice and an on-line risk checklist generating a detailed report and action plan, which will allow to take action to minimise their potential risks.Gareth Williams, BITC’s Project Manager, was reported as saying: “All businesses, whatever their sector, location and size, are faced with direct and indirect impacts of climate change, as we have seen only too recently in Morpeth and Rothbury.