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Climate Injustice in a Post-industrial City: The Case of Greater Manchester, UK

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Innovation in Climate Change Adaptation

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

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Abstract

Whilst weather extremes are currently rarely experienced in Greater Manchester, UK, under the changing climate the temperatures are projected to rise and heatwaves are likely to become more frequent. This may be particularly dangerous to people considered to be vulnerable to excessive heat: those in poor health, young or old age, and those isolated from others because of cultural differences or sparse social networks. The risk of harm to people caused by high temperatures may be exacerbated by the urban morphology of the post-industrial conurbation, including the distribution of green spaces and the housing conditions.

This paper explores the risk of high temperatures to vulnerable communities in Greater Manchester, UK. It investigates the spatial distribution of the factors contributing to social vulnerability and the neighbourhood qualities affecting exposure to high temperatures in relation to urban heat island. The results suggest that more diverse communities and people living in rented accommodation and in poor quality housing are likely to be at the greatest risk of high temperatures. The paper concludes by proposing neighbourhood-level adaptation measures targeting the physical environment that could address this climate injustice.

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Acknowledgements

This paper draws on research carried out by the author at The University of Manchester between 2009 and 2012 within the project Ecocities: The Bruntwood Initiative for Sustainable Cities. The author acknowledges Ordnance Survey for the use of MasterMap data. The paper has used data generated by the Sustainable Cities: Options for Responding to Climate Change Impacts and Outcomes (EPSRC SCORCHIO EP/E017428/1) project including the empirical model of the urban heat island in Greater Manchester (Smith et al. 2011); building wall orientation; and building type. The author thanks Dr Sarah Lindley for sharing this data. The author also acknowledges the Red Rose Forest for the use of the Greater Manchester Tree Audit dataset.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Planning and Geography, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA, Wales, UK

    Aleksandra Kazmierczak M.Sc., Ph.D.

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  1. Aleksandra Kazmierczak M.Sc., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Aleksandra Kazmierczak M.Sc., Ph.D. .

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  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

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Kazmierczak, A. (2016). Climate Injustice in a Post-industrial City: The Case of Greater Manchester, UK. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Innovation in Climate Change Adaptation. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25814-0_4

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