Water management challenges in a changing world

This report has been produced by CIRIA on behalf of the MBE KTN and in collaboration with the Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network. The report, Knowledge Summary Challenges for water management in a changing climate April 2010 provides an overview of the challenges of water management in a changing climate by identifying good practice and innovation gaps, highlighting business opportunities and providing links to further information.

Our climate does seem to be changing, and wetter winters and drier summers will affect existing buildings and change the requirements of new buildings.

There is a need for a twin-track approach of mitigation and adaptation, with the reduction of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide through mitigation measures, and managing the consequences of climate change through adaptation measures. Buildings, and activities within buildings, account for nearly half of the UK’s carbon emissions and provide opportunities for both mitigation and adaptation.

Buildings can have a lengthy working life. So new buildings need to be designed in such a way that, from the outset of their operation, they have reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. In addition, their design needs to be adaptive to future climate change, whilst being able to cope with current conditions, in order to provide a suitable living and working places for people.