Get ready for climate change

There is now a consensus that our climate is changing. Everyone across the world will feel the effects, even here in the UK. This is very likely to have an impact on your cause, your long term goals and your work. So it's in the interest of your organisation and those you work with to prepare for these future changes.

When we think of climate change, most of us think about reducing our carbon footprint by recycling or using low energy light bulbs, for example.

While it’s certainly important for charities to reduce carbon emissions, it’s also now vital to investigate how climate change will impact on your future work and your beneficiaries or cause.

A picture of the future

Imagine a future in which several big storms happen every year in your locality, rainfall is more intense and heat waves have become common place. These are the sorts of weather patterns we are likely to see here in the UK in a climate-changed world. In these circumstances, we will also face consequences such as flooding and localised drought and widespread knock on social and economic effects, from interrupted services to rising costs of resources. The extent of these trends will depend on how quickly we can reduce global carbon emissions. But some change is inevitable.

How will your beneficiaries cope with these new challenges? What impact would this have on your services? How will your day to day operations be affected?

Prepare for climate change

You need to be prepared so that you can make informed decisions about how best to respond to the climate challenges ahead.

This section includes information and guidance to help your organisation get ready for climate change. Here you’ll find:

• information about the likely trends we’ll see here in the UK
• some prompts to help you think about the implications for your beneficiaries or cause, and for the way you run your organisation
• a range of ideas and top tips for exploring how you could respond to these challenges
• case studies from charities who are already tackling these questions
• a summary of support available to help you take action.