The SiLC Register has launched the Climate Change & Sustainability Sub-group to embed sustainability and climate resilience into the development of not just post-industrial brownfield land, but wider development. The intent is to raise awareness and foster the skills necessary to transform our approach to the development of this land. This offers benefits in delivering improved soil health, biodiversity, and climate change and extreme weather events mitigation.
SiLCs have a pivotal role to play, not just in reducing the emissions arising from brownfield land regeneration and embedding sustainability/net zero, but also in restoring the ecosystem services we collectively rely on to deliver fresh water, capture carbon, prevent flooding and grow crops. Key to this is understanding land condition, and how it contributes to delivering nature-based solutions. Solutions that reduce, for instance, the risk of flooding, sequester carbon, provide green spaces, and produce renewable energy such as ground source heat.
Working with SiLC’s constituent professional institutions, the Sub-group will leverage the expertise and experience across the brownfield development community and beyond to build the capacity of SiLCs to embed sustainable development practices into how brownfield sites are managed. It is being led by co-chairs Claire Dickinson and Mark Hill.
It is clear, following Climate COP27 and Biodiversity COP15, that both crises pose a systemic risk that affects every aspect of our lives, from extreme weather effects to food security and even the investments that underpin our pensions. Mitigating and adapting to climate change is a societal endeavour that poses both generation-defining challenges and huge opportunities. Continuing with business as usual is no longer an option.
Claire Dickinson emphasised that ‘this Sub-group embodies the SiLC commitment to advancing knowledge and practice for the benefit of the environment and society.
Join us on our journey contributing to the UK’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and creating a clean growth circular economy’.
SiLCs are experts in risk assessment and land condition. They represent a multidisciplinary profession that promotes the highest standards of professional competence in these fields. They actively contribute to advances in sustainable remediation practices, guidance, standards, regulation, and reducing direct and indirect emissions.
If you are a registered SiLC and would like to get involved or represent a body that would be interested in working with the SiLC Sub-group, please e-mail the chairs using: silc.ccands@gmail.com. The Sub-group will also be holding their first webinar on Maximising Natural Capital Benefits for Brownfield and Sustainable Development.
