Rural communities across England's uplands and state leaders in California are racing to harden local infrastructure against escalating climate threats, deploying new scientific data, environmental management strategies, and wildfire defenses.
The Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, County Durham and Northumberland councils have adopted the North Pennines National Landscape Management Plan 2026-31. The strategy targets warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers across heather moors, dales, woods, and the site of High Force waterfall. National landscapes were formerly known as areas of outstanding natural beauty, and the area is mainly funded by the government and other charitable organisations.
There’s no stick here, it’s all carrot,
Woodley-Stewart said, adding that everyone has a role to play in its implementation.
He noted that the five-year strategy will guide the policy of local authorities without being compulsory.
Raby Estates Deploys Drones and Farm Training for Wildfire Defense
As part of the regional push, major land managers are teaming up with NPNL to bolster fire preparedness. Raby Estates, one of the area’s largest land managers, is actively working on wildfire prevention measures by managing its farmers’ fuel loads and providing specialized equipment.
drone equipment to help spot fires was a really significant, additional tool in our wildfire control kit
Duncan Peake, chief executive at Raby Estates
As part of the broader management plan, NPNL is also collaborating with farmers who want to acquire the appropriate skills and equipment for farm visits. Peake noted that farmers on their estate were already taking groups of mostly young participants who wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to come to the countryside
to help them understand how farming works.
Woodley-Stewart emphasized that inclusive access remains central to the initiative: You can’t make people come to the countryside and invest in the local economy, but you can help to create circumstances in which they feel this landscape is for everybody.
California Releases Fifth Climate Change Assessment to Guide Policy
Across the Atlantic, California published its Fifth Climate Change Assessment, combining updated scientific data, tribal knowledge, research, and community perspectives to detail growing threats from extreme heat, wildfires, drought, and rising seas while helping state and local leaders take action. The compilation of original climate research includes a statewide summary alongside nine Regional Reports, 18 Tribal Research projects, 15 Core Climate Research Program reports, and Statewide Topical Reports to help communities prepare for climate change and build resilience. Since 2006, these assessments have helped inform the plans, policies, and investments shaping how the state responds to climate change.
The state faces unprecedented warming and increasingly severe climate impacts. Due to higher temperatures and shifts toward more rain than snow, projections indicate that early April snowpack will drop by roughly 40% between 2041–2070 and by about 60% from 2071–2100 relative to the 1981–2010 baseline. This decline will substantially affect downstream water systems, local economies, and ecosystems. Dangerous heat events are intensifying in frequency and duration, generating extended heat waves alongside an increased number of days surpassing critical temperature limits.
The new research notes that California Native American tribes face disproportionate impacts from climate change yet are leading effective climate adaptation solutions. The agency provides ongoing operational support for the California Strategic Growth Council and the California Racial Equity Commission.
