Climate, nature and water

Climate change and the ecological emergency are real, human-made crises, and they are happening now. Rising global temperatures, extreme weather, and biodiversity loss are accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Urgent action is needed to protect our communities, our environment, and our future.

Somerset is one of the most vulnerable areas in the UK to the impacts of climate change. The majority of our county is low-lying, flat, and coastal, making us highly susceptible to flooding as sea levels rise and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe. These changes threaten homes, businesses, infrastructure, and power networks. As an agricultural county, our economy, livelihoods, and food supply are also at risk. Collaboration across nature recovery, climate mitigation, and the development of adaption and resilience pathways will be essential to managing these risks.

Somerset Council is committed to tackling the climate and ecological crisis, and is working towards a carbon-neutral Somerset by 2030, as well as ensuring that at least 30% of Somerset’s land and inland waterways are well managed for nature by 2030. But we cannot do it alone. We need everyone in Somerset to do their bit. Scroll down to find out what we are doing, what others are doing, and what you can do to help protect Somerset against the effects of climate change.

Let’s build a climate-resilient, nature-rich Somerset together.