The self-assessment survey included requests for information on four different but related questions that provide insight into visibility of adaptation across Europe. All of these questions included multiple choice options, with one (Q3) requesting that respondents identify from a list of options the three that they consider the most important. The self-assessment survey also included a number of open-ended questions asking for examples or more details and, although not directly related to visibility, some of the responses included information relative to visibility and have been drawn on in this analysis. The following table presents the four questions specifically referenced and indicates the number of countries providing a response.
Question from self-assessment survey (including the question number) | Number of countries having answered this question (including % on total number) |
---|---|
In my country, in the past five years, the level of public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased (Q1) | 30/30 (100 %) |
In my country, the need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda (Q2) | 30/30 (100%) |
In my country, the following aspects have triggered adaptation (Q3) | 29/30 (96.7%) |
In my country, the willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation actions at national level is (Q4) | 30/30 (100%) |
In my country, the following barriers for adaptation have been identified (Q 11) | 29/30 (96.7%) |
In what stage of the adaptation policy process is your country in? (Q12) | 30/30 (100%) |
The responses suggest that the level of public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased during the past five years (20 agree or strongly agree with nine providing a neutral response (i.e. neither agree nor disagree)) and that adaptation has reached the national political agenda (23 agree or strongly agree) with only one strongly disagreeing.
Each country was requested to select from a provided list what they believed were the three most important triggers for action on adaptation (note that five countries identified four triggers). As illustrated in Figure 2.1, common triggers for action on adaptation identified were extreme weather events (28 of 30), development of EU policies (19 of 30), estimates of current and future damage costs (17of 30) and pertinent results from scientific research (14 of 30).
Acknowledge. Asking the private sector and public this question (or any of these questions) was beyond the scope of this study. It is recognised that this would be an interesting study in itself, including understanding why the responses are different.
Figure 2.1 Responses selected as having triggered adaptation. Countries were asked to select three from a list of 10 triggers, with five countries identifying four triggers (n=30 responding countries)
Exploring these responses further, it is useful to consider the relationships between public awareness or whether adaptation has reached the political agenda and the reported triggers for action on adaptation. In terms of the triggers, for those countries agreeing or strongly agreeing (20 of 30) that the level of public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased:
For those countries that strongly agreed or agreed that adaptation has reached the national political agenda (24 of 30), scientific research was identified as a trigger for adaptation by 12 such countries compared to two that responded neutrally or that they strongly disagreed.
As synthesised in Table 2.1, eleven countries reported a high (out of 30) or very high (two) willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation actions at the national level. 14 countries reported that such willingness within their countries could be ranked medium, and three reported a low ranking.
The role of awareness of the need for adaptation in determining the willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level can be explored by examining the responses to this question and the responses to two other questions within the survey. The first is exploring the responses to this question and those to the whether the public awareness of adaptation as a response has increased (Table 2.1). Ten of the 13 countries that ranked willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level as high or very high also responded that public awareness as a response had increased (compared with three of 13 that responded that they neither agreed nor disagreed that that public awareness had increased). Similarly, those countries that ranked willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level as medium (14 countries) more (nine countries) agreed with the statement that public awareness of adaptation as a response has increased than neither agreed or disagreed with this statement (five countries).
Table 2.1. Reported willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level, and response to whether public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response has increased (n=29)
Willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level | Public awareness of adaptation as a response has increased | |
Agree (17) / Strongly Agree (2)* | Neutral (9) | |
Low willingness (3 countries)* | Slovenia | Czech Republic |
Medium willingness (14 countries) | Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden | Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Latvia |
High (11 countries) / very high willingness (2 countries) | Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Turkey, UK | Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Switzerland |
* One country’s responses are not included in this table as Liechtenstein reported ‘not known’ as response to whether public awareness of adaptation has increased.
Unfortunately many stakeholders still relate climate change actions only with mitigation measures. Adaptation is not given a due attention at the political level.
Hungary is in "medium" category. We suggest to move Hungary to high category. Explanation: National Adaptation Strategy was prepared at august 2013. Afterward, a broad discussion process has been launched which may lead to increase the general public awareness.
We would like to suggest to include Bulgaria in the list of countries that agree that public awareness of adaptation as a response has increased.
Medium willingness... Germany: Please delete Germany here and add Germany to high Willingness under Neutral to develop policies and neutral Public awareness.
Acknowledged that many stakeholders still relate climate change actions only with mitigation.
Accepted changes as requested and will include these in the updated tables, graphs and analysis
The second exploration is with respect to responses to whether the need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda (Table 2.2). All countries (13) that responded that willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level is high or very high also responded that the need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda. Similarly, those countries that responded that ranked willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level as medium (14 countries) more (ten countries) agreed with the statement that the need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda than neither agreed or disagreed with this statement (four countries).
These responses, particularly from those countries responding that they neither disagree nor agreed with the statements that the public awareness of adaptation as a response has increased or that the need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda and their implications for the role of awareness of the need for adaptation (and other drivers) in willingness to act at the national level requires further exploration.
Table 2.2. Reported willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level and the reported agreement that the need for adaptation reached the national political agenda (n=29)
Willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level | The need for climate change adaptation has reached the national political agenda* | |
Agree (20) / Strongly Agree (3)* | Neutral (5) | |
Low (3)* | Slovenia | Czech Republic |
Medium (14) | Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden | Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Greece |
High (11) / Very High (2) | Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Italy, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK |
* Liechtenstein strongly disagreed that adaptation had reached the national political agenda and reported a low willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level
Please delete Germany under Medium/Neutral and add Germany under High/Very High - Agree/Strongly Agree.
Accepted and change will be included in the tables, figures and analysis
Countries were asked to select the three most important barriers to adaptation from a list of potential barriers. The three most commonly reported barriers selected were the lack of financial/human resources (selected 25 times), followed by uncertainties and unclear responsibilities (selected 12 times each) and the lack of political commitment/will (selected 10 times) (cf. Figure 2.2).
Figure 2.2. Selected barrier to adaptation
Pg 30: lack of resources seems to be one of the major barriers. Mainstreaming is one of the important ways to implement adaptation. This mainstreaming often requires less resources (e.g. low regret options). Is this considered?
Acknowledged.
It is worth noting that barriers related to insufficient capacity (lack of financial/human capacity; limited capacity in the policy, practitioner and/or research communities; and lack of knowledge exchange) was selected by 28 of 30 countries. This can be compared with those barriers related to the lack of information or knowledge (selected by 16 of 30 countries) – uncertainties as a barrier was selected 12 times, lack of data (such as socio-economic, climate and other physical data) was selected seven times, lack of knowledge exchange selected three times and lack of knowledge generation selected two times. Dealing with these latter barriers may enhance capacity or increase political commitment/will, but the responses suggest that although lack of information and knowledge are barriers to adaptation, barriers related to capacity and political commitment/will are considered more important.
In response to the question asking countries to identify what stage of the adaptation policy process they were in (Figure 2.3), two of 30 countries indicated that their adaptation policy process had not started, one that they were in the agenda setting stage, eleven that they were in the formulation stage, seven that they were in the decision stage, five that they were in the implementation stage and four that they were in the monitoring and evaluation stage.
Figure 2.3. Illustrative schematic overview of adaptation policy progress as reported by European countries
same comment as with figure 1.2. the Netherlands are in the implementation phase with regards to water related adaptation issues.
should be listed at point 2 (Agenda setting). A draft prepared just before the Governmental Office for Climate Change was suppressed is not relevant any more. Last year we were too optimistic regarding the willingness of our government to support activities related to adaptation to climate change. The nominated intersectoral group on adaptation to climate change did not convene during the last year.
Please add Switzerland in the implemenation stage (see updated survey).
comment addressed
Same comment as in figure 1.2. Italy should be moved to stage 3 as it is in the process to finalize its National Adaptation Strategy.
Comment addressed
Same comment as in Figure 1.2 - Estonia is at the Formulation phase. We are at the same level with Latvia. We are currently developing adaptation strategy and the strategy document will be completed latest by March 2016.
Commnet addressed
Please delete Germany under “Decision” and add under “Implementation”.
Exploring the above responses further, it is useful to consider the responses to whether public awareness of the need for adaptation has increased and to whether adaptation has reached the national political agenda with the reported stage in the adaptation policy process.
As illustrated in Figure 2.4, those countries agreeing or strongly agreeing (20 of 29) that the level of public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased, are also the countries that identified themselves as being at the decision (five of seven), implementation (five of six) and monitoring and evaluation (four of four) stages of the adaptation policy process. Although public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased over the past five years in Greece, they reported that their adaptation policy process had not yet started.
in line with comment in figure 2.3 NL should be added to the sum of implementing countries
For those nine countries responding that they neither agreed nor disagreed that the level of public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased (i.e. neutral response),only one identified themselves as being at the implementation stage and none identified themselves as being at the monitoring and evaluation stage.
Figure 2.4. Reported stage in the adaptation policy process, and response indicating whether public awareness of the need for adaptation as a response to climate change has increased (n=29)
Further observations related to the importance of factors related to awareness of the need for adaptation and the reported stage in the adaptation process can be made based on the responses to the two related questions (see Figure 2.5):
Figure 2.5. Reported willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level, and the reported stage in the adaptation policy process (n=30)*
Hungary is in "agenda setting stage" category. We have suggest to move "decision stage" to high category. Explanation: The consultation process of National Adaptation Strategy has been completed. It is expected that the Parliament will approve the document (as a part of 2th National Climate Change Strategy) by autumn, this year.
Comment has been addressed for Graph 2.3.
*One country (Finland) reported a medium willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action and being at the M&E stage of the adaptation policy process (undertaking evaluation, but not monitoring or reporting)
Together, these observations suggest that willingness to develop policies and to take adaptation action at the national level is an important factor in determining the stage in the adaptation policy process, but also suggest that there are other determinants.
Responses to some of the open-ended questions within the self-assessment survey can provide further insight into the awareness of the need for adaptation in European countries. For example, 30 countries responded to the question regarding planned next steps, and of these, 21 countries reported next steps with respect to legislation to support adaptation and their responses provide some insight into the awareness of the need for adaptation in the political agenda:
It is not clear that which response category consists Hungary.
This along with the other countries' statuses will be clarified in the update version
For example, in Germany a progress report on the German adaptation strategy and the Action Plan will be prepared within the coming legislative period. In Ireland, the adaptation actions will be informed by the outcomes of the phase 1 (focused on increasing understanding of national impacts and vulnerabilities) and will build on the progress made in terms of adaptation awareness and integration, and increased experience with dealing with adaptation issues.
we suggest to add mentioning the Netherlands in the same sense as stated for Ireland
we suggest to add mentioning the Netherlands in the same sense as stated for Ireland - accepted
..."will be prepared within the coming legislative period"....: Delete this part of the sentence and add “is under preparation”.
..."will be prepared within the coming legislative period"....: Delete this part of the sentence and add “is under preparation”.
Accepted
If you should have asked this question to private compagnies or citizens, should it be a comparable answer or not? I gues for extreme weather yes but the rest I doubt.