Transcript UK and EC Policy

Current UK and EU Policy on
Water Management
Thames Tunnel Commission 29/7/11
Emerging legislative and policy
direction
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UK Government White Paper
UK National Ecosystem Assessment
Cave Review
TEEB Reports
EC White Paper on Adaptation
EU Biodiversity Strategy
WFD Guidance Documents on
Common Implementation Strategy
The Natural Choice: securing the
value of nature (June 2011)
• Nature works as a system
• Current ecosystems are fragmented and
fragile
• Need for more coherent and large scale
approaches
• Need to restore nature in our cities, towns
and rivers
• Dual problem of reduced flows in the
summer and increased demand from
consumers
UK White Paper
• A vision to 2060
– biodiversity, water management, green
infrastructure, air quality & ecosystem services
• Local Nature Partnerships
– working at the strategic landscape scale
• Ten ‘catchment level partnerships’
– businesses, citizens and interest groups
• Green infrastructure to deliver reduced
pollution and greater resilience to climate
change
UK National Ecosystem Assessment:
Understanding nature’s value to
society (June 2011)
• Natural world is consistently undervalued
• Ecosystems have changed markedly over
the past 60 years and pressures are
increasing
• Decisions made now will have far-reaching
consequences
• Needs a more integrated and holistic
approach to deliver sustainable
development
Our Life Insurance, Our National
Capital: An EU biodiversity strategy
to 2020 (May 2011)
• A 2050 vision – to protect, value and
restore biodiversity and ecosystems
• 2020 headline target – halt the loss
of biodiversity and degradation
• TEEB – the economic value of
biodiversity should be factored into
decision making and reflected in
accounting and reporting systems
EU Biodiversity Strategy: Target 2
• By 2020, ecosystems and their services are
maintained and enhanced by establishing
green infrastructure and restoring at least
15% of degraded ecosystems
– Action 5: Improve knowledge of ecosystems
and their services
– Action 6: Set priorities to restore and promote
the use of green infrastructure
– Action 7: Ensure no net loss of biodiversity
and ecosystem services
Target 2: Action 6
• By 2014, Member States, with the
assistance of the Commission, will develop
a strategic framework to set priorities for
ecosystem restoration at sub-national,
national and EU level
• The Commission will develop a Green
Infrastructure Strategy by 2012 to promote
the deployment of green infrastructure
projects and the maintenance of ecosystem
services, for example through better
targeted use of EU funding streams and
Public Private Partnerships.
WFD Common Implementation
Strategy: Guidance Document No.24
• Principle 7: Favouring robust adaptation measures
– “if investments are being planned for
infrastructure with long life spans it is prudent to
favour measures that are resilient to a wide range
of plausible climate conditions … these measures
should also work with natural processes and
realise multiple benefits (e.g., for flood risk
management, drought management, nature
conservation, navigation and recreation)”.
• Principle 8: Maximise cross-sectoral benefits and
minimise negative effects across sectors –
“measures taken to improve water status through
waste water treatment or reuse, artificial recharge
of aquifers, inter-basin transfers and so forth,
imply higher energy consumption and greenhouse
gas emissions”.
Adapting to Climate Change:
Towards a European framework for
action (April 2009)
• Water management:
“Explore possible ways of improving
policies and developing measures
which address biodiversity loss and
climate change in an integrated
manner to fully exploit co-benefits
and avoid ecosystem feedbacks that
accelerate global warning.”
Changing Course: Delivering a
sustainable future for the water
industry in England and Wales
• 20 years since privatisation we have
improved customer services, improved
standards and increased investment, but:
• Industry debt has increased from £0 to
£33bn
• Bills are 45% higher in real terms in 2010
than in 1990
• Carbon emissions are increasing
• Future of the sector is unsustainable
Changing Course: the problems
• Implementation of EU Directives
• Supply issues addressed regionally,
via capital intensive solutions
• Inflexible environmental regulation
• Economic regulation incentivises
capital investment
• Lack of innovation
• Lack of implementation guidelines
for the sector’s strategy
Changing Course: the solutions
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Flexible implementation of WFD
Developing competition
More flexible approach to consents
Improved price setting process
Companies driving innovation
Prioritising national outcomes in
delivering the sector’s strategy
In Conclusion
• Economic and environmental sustainability
is the key underlying principle of emerging
national and European legislation and
policy
• Holistic, integrated approaches are the
order of the day
• The policy and regulatory framework of
the water industry is a barrier to the
development of sustainable, integrated
solutions