Climate change

How will climate change affect the Lake District?

The Lake District of 2050 could feel very different from today. As climate change takes hold, weather patterns will alter and extreme events will become more common. The coastline will change, as will conditions for all wildlife.

But there are real benefits if we act quickly. Resilient communities that cut their energy costs and generate renewable energy will prosper. So will tourism businesses that tap into the growing market for low-impact holidays. Transport options like bikes, boats, buses and, of course, boots are all low in carbon but high in fun.

We can lock greenhouse gases into the landscape through good land management. Above all, we can encourage the 15.8 million people a year who visit the Lake District to join us in taking action.

To make the most of these opportunities, we launched the Low-Carbon Lake District Project in 2008. In July 2010, we held the Low-Carbon Lake District Summit to take stock of progress and plan for the future.

What is the Lake District National Park Authority doing to reduce its carbon emissions?

We are on track to reduce our own emissions by 25 per cent within the next two years. Our carbon management plan covers energy use, transport and behaviour change. We work with staff, members and volunteers to get ideas and take action. We have signed up to the 10:10 campaign (opens in new window), pledging to reduce emissions by ten per cent in 2010, and won an Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero award for our efforts to reduce carbon emissions from transport.  - find out more on Our own carbon reduction web page.

How is the Lake District National Park Authority helping others to tackle climate change?

We work with the Lake District National Park Partnership to tackle climate change, and it is a priority in the forthcoming National Park Management Plan.

Other partnership work includes:

How we help communities

There are a range of ways in which we help communities on climate change:

What about transport impacts?

Working with Cumbria County Council and the Lake District National Park Partnership, we are building a Transport Framework for a sustainable Lake District. We want to transform our transport system so that people can choose to travel in low-carbon ways.

How does land management affect climate change?

Land management in the Lake District will need to adapt to climate change impacts, like changes to the water cycle. And we need to protect peat and woodlands, which are important carbon stores. The Bassenthwaite Ecosystem Services pilot project is pioneering an approach to this. Find out more in our Carbon and Land Management section.

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National Parks - Britain's breathing spaces