Aleksandra Kazmierczak

Are homeowners willing to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change

The need to adapt to climate change impacts, whilst simultaneously limiting greenhouse gas emissions, requires that the government’s efforts are joined by public action. In England and Wales, housing contributes significantly to the emissions and many properties are at risk of flooding. This paper investigates the preparedness of homeowners in England and Wales to make changes to their homes in response to the predicted effects of climate change. A telephone survey of 961 homeowners investigated their interest in purchasing mitigation and adaptation improvements against their concern about climate change, awareness of flood risk and attribution of responsibility for action. Whilst the majority of homes had some energy-saving improvements, few were found to have property-level flood protection. The high levels of awareness about climate change and flooding were coupled with the perception of risks as low. Whilst some respondents accepted personal responsibility for action, most believed that the authorities were responsible for flood protection, and would not pay the costs required to make their home more energy-efficient and better prepared for the eventuality of floods. The results suggest that there is scope for further improvement of energy-saving measures, and that the levels of adoption of flood-protection measures are very low. Multi-faceted strategies, including more effective communication of risks and responsibilities, incentives, and material support for the poorest, will need to be developed to overcome the current reluctance by homeowners to invest in flood-protection measures and further energy conservation solutions in the future.

Investigating homeowners' interest in property‐level flood protection

Purpose – The inevitability of climate change and its consequences brings on the need to find new ways of adapting to extreme events, such as floods. One immediate measure would be to make physical improvements to houses to either prevent their inundation or minimise the damage when flood waters enter premises. Currently, the level of implementation of these measures is low. This paper aims to assess the willingness of house owners living in flood risk zones to carry out works that make their homes better protected against flooding.Design/methodology/approach – Householders (101) in low‐ and medium‐income areas of Salford, north west of England were interviewed on their perceptions of climate change consequences, willingness to make physical improvements to their properties and preparedness to pay for them.Findings – The homeowners are concerned about the climate change effects on their homes, feel responsible for protection of their properties against flooding and express interest in several flood protec...

Knowledge and Information for Resilient Cities

Climate change is a reality and it will impact human and natural systems despite the worldwide measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation to climate change is therefore an urgent task, and while climate change is a global challenge, adaptation needs to be place based. Adapting to climate change requires a multi-level approach supported by sufficient and suitable information regarding the different stakeholders. Despite existing information gaps, a vast amount of knowledge and information related to climate change has already been generated and made available, yet in practice, only a fraction of this information is used by adaptation policy makers and decision-makers. The skills and capacities of adaptation stakeholders to use existing information are constrained – at the community, local and national government level, among European policymakers, researchers and knowledge providers. Difficulties exist regarding identifying knowledge from a wide range of sources, analysing this information and adapting it to the local context. A collaborative approach, a common language and a continuous collaborative learning between the different stakeholders can help overcome these barriers.