Vulnerability to heatwaves and drought: adaptation to climate change
21 February 2011
This Joseph Rowntree Foundation report explores how examples of climate change adaptation in the South West of England may impact on vulnerable groups in society.
The report found that:
Water is becoming increasingly scarce as a result of climate change and increased consumer demand.
Water companies are moving away from flat rate fees to new charging models that bill customers steadily higher prices according to how much water they use.
This could create affordability problems for some low-income households and could lead to 'water poverty' in some cases – where households spend 3% or more of their income on water bills.
Water affordability is a particular problem for the south-west where bills are on average 43% higher than the rest of the country.
An estimated four million households are currently 'water poor' and this situation is likely to worsen as water bills are set to rise 5% per year for some customers.
Low-income households unable to reduce their water use are more vulnerable to differential water charging, particularly those who do not qualify for support schemes.
Schemes to support vulnerable households may help to improve water efficiency while providing affordable water to all, but not all households are eligible and drop-out rates can be high because of complex renewal processes.
The authors conclude that decision-makers need to aim for ‘affordable water efficiency’
This is the first report to be published from JRF's Climate Change and Social Justice programme. The programme seeks to explore how climate change and adaptation policies are experienced by different social groups in the UK.
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