City hosts climate adaptation event

Creating infrastructure that is resilient to the effects of climate change was the focus of an event in the city this week.

Business leaders representing around 60 different employers from across the South West attended the climate adaptation workshop, hosted by the University of Exeter on behalf of the South West Infrastructure Partnership (SWIP), a collaboration of organisations and professionals with an interest in how we shape the region.

The workshop, held at the South West Institute of Technology on Exeter’s Streatham campus, brought together representatives from a wide range of sectors to discuss the most pressing adaptation challenges for infrastructure clients and possible solutions, as well as how to influence change and innovation in climate adaptation.

How quickly and effectively the South West can adapt to climate change was one of the pressing questions, with the increasing severity of storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts already impacting the region’s vital infrastructure such as water, transport, energy and telecommunications networks, leading businesses and organisations to innovate, think differently and collaborate in order to adapt existing infrastructure.