Climate change and renewable energy
Climate change is one of the most serious threats to our environment, including our seas and coasts, according to recent reports by the UK government and others. WWF works on climate change science, mitigation (reduction) and adaptation (supporting natural systems to respond).
Climate change may alter nearly every physical and chemical property of the sea, from water density and temperature to nutrient availability and the toxicity of pollutants. This will also change many biological and physiological conditions, and the interactions between them.
WWF commissioned an assessment of the vulnerability of UK seas to the impacts of climate change. The resulting report demonstrates that many significant changes have been found in species around the UK, from plankton to dolphins, and that these changes are linked to climate change - particularly temperature increases.
In addition, CO2 - which is the principal cause of climate change - is dissolving into the oceans and forming carbonic acid. This is causing ocean acidification and lowering the pH of sea water. The potential implications of this are of significant concern to the reproduction and survival of fish, shellfish, plankton and corals, in particular.
Renewable energy
UK seas offer much potential for a wide range of marine renewable technologies. Offshore wind energy, for example, could generate enough electricity to meet a quarter of current UK demand, helping to meet our targets to reduce climate change, and guaranteeing security of energy supply. Renewable energy technologies such as wind, wave and tidal need to be developed and sited correctly to minimise their impact on the environment.
Mitigation
WWF believes that in the short term, climate change considerations should be included as part of the Oil and Gas SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) process and taken into account when the DTI considers licensing blocks of the UK Continental Shelf for oil and gas. Under the new marine bill, WWF wants to see planning for oil and gas extraction brought into the proposed Marine Spatial Planning system, so that the cumulative effects of the full range of impacts of all human activities can be assessed by applying SEA to each marine spatial plan.
WWF also works with the marine renewables industry to promote the development of carefully sited technologies around our coasts. Again, renewables must be brought into the Marine Spatial Planning system. This can give developers more certainty of where to develop, ensure that the 'right technology is developed in the right place' and hopefully enable swifter planning decisions.
Adaptation
WWF expects the marine bill to be 'future proofed' to allow for adaptation of management decisions in response to changes, especially those resulting from climate change. For example, if we apply good management practices to maintain fish stocks and other species and habitats at healthy levels, they are then more likely to cope with the impacts of climate change. Over-fished stocks and damaged habitats will have greatly reduced chances to recover as climate change impacts become increasingly severe.