Yorkshire Water among utilities at ‘forefront’ of climate change response

Yorkshire Water is a front runner amongst those in the utility sector responding to the challenges brought on by climate change, according to Climate Change Partnership for Yorkshire and Humber's Jon Clubb.


Clubb today welcomed the publication of the utility’s climate change strategy, which lays out plans to respond to climate change and ensure the security of the water and waste water services it provides to five million customers.

Clubb said that the strategy puts Yorkshire Water among those at the forefront of responding to the serious challenges the UK faces from extreme weather and the changing climate.

“The resilience of our critical infrastructure assets are key to the long term vitality of our communities and businesses, whatever the weather,” he said.

Clubb added: “Reducing our emissions goes hand in hand with being well adapted to a changing climate – so it’s also right that they are making Yorkshire’s water supply more sustainable by making renewable energy from our sewage waste and reducing their carbon emissions”.

The strategy describes the climate challenges facing the region’s water and waste water services from increasingly drier summers, more extreme storms and rising sea levels.

It also looks at how the company will continue tackling the carbon emissions hidden in its water and waste water services. Last year the utility continued to cut carbon emissions, saving 8,700 tonnes on the previous year.

Yorkshire Water’s climate change strategy manager, Gordon Rogers, said: “People can continue to debate the reasons behind it, but the evidence shows that our climate is changing and as a business we have a responsibility to respond to that.

“We can’t shy away from the challenges of today’s extreme weather and future climate change, so we’ve set out a detailed plan to safeguard Yorkshire’s water for future generations,” he added.

Leigh Stringer

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