The impact of Climate Change on our Environment

The OVA is proud to be partnering with the Budleigh Lions and Plastic Free Budleigh to bring you an important event that discusses the impact of Climate Change on our local Environment.  Everyone has heard about climate change, but what exactly does it mean, and how will it affect us in our towns, villages and the Otter Valley?

This event is designed to answer some of these questions.  So, please join us for an evening of presentations and engaging discussions with local Environmental groups.  Have your say on what you would like to see done and help us to build an understanding of the views of local communities in how to deal with this very real threat to our Natural Environment, and communities.

The evening will start with a short, but very powerful, presentation from Mr. Olly Watts, Climate Change Specialist, entitled "Climate is changing our lives".  He will discuss a recent Met Office Climate report for East Devon. He will also highlight some of the key science that is showing us how temperatures are rising and what that means to us here in Devon - both in terms of changes to our seasonality, changes to our rainfall patterns, and the impact on Nature and People.

We will then discuss the implications with local environmental groups and the community attending. 

Our objective with the evening is to:

1. Share information about Climate change and the impact on the Environment
2. Enable the community to build an action-plan for what can be done locally to adapt to the changing environment
3. To receive ideas and thoughts from local residents on actions that can be taken locally
4. To build a charter for engaging with local councils and MP's to effect change

The Impact of Climate change on the Environment:

Predictions suggest that summers will get hotter, and winters will get wetter.  So what does this mean?  While this is a significant topic that Mr Watts will be covering in his keynote, it is worth noting that such an effect will impact our villages, our residents, our farmers, our rivers, our heathlands, our flora, our fauna and our coasts:

If temperatures rise by just 2 degrees, older adults will be affected since they are disproportionately vulnerable to heat because ageing reduces sweating, circulation, and the ability to regulate body temperature.  In our farming community,  extended periods of drought during the growing season can be problematic for arable farmers, while the welfare, and milk yield, from dairy cows will reduce significantly above, say, 25 degrees. On the heaths, increased fires may occur in the summer, together with increased stress on the heather and greater susceptibility to attack by pests e.g. heather beetle. Meanwhile, in the rivers higher temperatures can mean a wide variety of species can't survive.  If the river Otter warms above 20 degrees, this will also affect the spawning of salmonids in the river.  Traditional trees that flourish in the traditional English climate will struggle as our environment becomes more akin to the Mediterranean.

The point here is that we, locally, need to adapt to what the environment will become, as opposed to trying to revert to what it was.  The future lies before us, and not behind us. This is the discussions that we are trying to facilitate within our community so that we can all have a voice and consider together how we want our local communities to evolve. 

Environmental groups who have already signed up to attend include:

What can YOU do to help the environment?

During the event, we would like everyone to think about what actions they can take to help protect our environment.  Here are some examples that have been provided ahead of the event, but we are looking for your thoughts and ideas as well:

1. Write to your local MP (asking for policy changes relating to our reliance on fossil fuels, or nature protection, or ... )
2. Walk, cycle, or use the bus for local trips (Short car journeys are the biggest source of local air pollution. Choosing active travel cuts emissions and improves health. East Devon District Council is already expanding EV infrastructure and promoting low‑carbon travel).
3. Improve home insulation and energy efficiency (Over 400 East Devon homes have already received upgrades, showing how effective this is at cutting bills and emissions . Villagers can follow suit with draught‑proofing, loft insulation, and efficient heating controls).
4. Support local wildlife by planting for pollinators (East Devon manages 89 wildlife improvement sites to restore habitats . Residents can mirror this at home: plant native species, leave wild corners, and avoid pesticides).
5. Reduce meat and dairy consumption (Livestock farming is a major source of methane and ammonia pollution. Even small shifts, such as a couple of plant‑rich meals a week, make a measurable difference).
6. Avoid wood‑burning and garden bonfires (Wood‑burning is one of the UK’s largest sources of fine‑particle pollution. In river valleys like the Otter, smoke can linger and affect vulnerable residents).
7. Choose renewable electricity tariffs (Switching to green energy reduces reliance on fossil‑fuel power stations and cuts upstream pollution).
8. Use HEPA air purifiers during high‑pollution or high‑pollen days (HEPA filtration reduces indoor PM2.5 and improves respiratory health, especially for older residents or those with asthma).
9. Join or support local conservation groups (Seaton Wetlands saw over 112,000 visitors in 2024, helping connect people with nature and support local biodiversity work. The OVA, ORCA, Lions, Plastic Free Budleigh and other parish wildlife groups all rely on volunteer).
10. Reduce water use and protect the River Otter (Pressure on sewage infrastructure is a major issue in East Devon villages, with treatment works already over capacity in places like Honiton and Fluxton . Using less water reduces strain on the system and helps prevent pollution incidents).
11. Support parish‑level climate and nature initiatives (East Devon’s Climate Strategy aims for a low‑carbon future by 2040, with community involvement central to delivery . Villagers can join local climate forums, help with tree‑planting, or back low‑traffic and clean‑air measures).

Event details:

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate.  The doors will open at 6:30pm with presentations starting at 7:00pm.  Food will be provided courtesy of the Otter Valley Association, and drinks through the Budleigh Lions.  We expect the evening to finish by 9pm, although we do not expect everyone to stay the entire evening.

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