Table of contents
- Acknowledgements
- Executive summary
- Objectives, intended users and context of this report
- Outline of this report
- Methodological approach
- Lessons learned from collaborating with member countries through the self-assessment survey
- 1. Rationale for public intervention on adaptation
- 2.1. Key Topic 1: Public and policy awareness of the need for adaptation
- 2.1.1. Awareness of the need for adaptation: what does this include?
- 2.1.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.1.3. Examples from countries
- 2.1.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.2. Key Topic 2: Knowledge generation and use
- 2.2.1. Knowledge generation and use: what does this include?
- 2.2.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.2.3. Examples from countries
- 2.2.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.3. Key Topic 3: Planning adaptation
- 2.3.1. Planning adaptation: what does this include?
- 2.3.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.3.3. Examples from countries
- 2.3.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.4. Key Topic 4: Coordination of adaptation
- 2.4.1. Coordination of adaptation: what does this include?
- 2.4.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.4.3. Examples from countries
- 2.4.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.5. Key Topic 5: Stakeholder involvement
- 2.5.1. Stakeholder involvement: what does this include?
- 2.5.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.5.3. Examples from countries
- 2.5.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.6. Key Topic 6: Implementation of adaptation
- 2.6.1. Implementation of adaptation: what does this include?
- 2.6.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.6.3. Examples from countries
- 2.6.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.7. Key Topic 7: Transnational cooperation
- 2.7.1. Transnational cooperation: what does this include?
- 2.7.2. Findings from self-assessment survey
- 2.7.3. Examples from countries
- 2.7.4. Discussion of findings
- 2.8. Key Topic 8: Monitoring, reporting and evaluation
- 2.8.1. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation (MRE): what does this include?
- 2.8.2. Findings from the self-assessment survey
- 2.8.3. Examples from countries
- 2.8.4. Discussion of findings
- 3. The evolving agenda for national adaptation in Europe
- 4. Glossary
- 5. Acronyms
- 6. References
2.7.3. Examples from countries
Alpine area
In the Alpine area transnational cooperation on adaptation has been fostered by several different actors and projects. The Alpine Convention sets the frame as an international treaty between the Alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland) as well as the EU. It aims at promoting sustainable development in the Alpine area and at protecting the interests of the people living within it.
European Regional Development Funds support the Alpine Space Programme of EU Territorial Cooperation. Specific projects include Adapt Alp (co-funded by European Regional Development Fund) that brought together partners from the Alpine Space Programme to collaborate on the topic of natural hazard management and climate change adaptation in the Alpine arc. Activities aimed at strengthening adaptive capacity of the region by, for example, harmonising data and sharing experiences. This is seen to reduce costs and implementation time of adaptation. Activities in other projects such as C3 Alps (co-funded by European Regional Development Fund) have also included synthesizing, implementing and transferring best available adaptation knowledge related to policy and practice. Knowledge transfer driven by the information and communication needs of target groups can bridge the gap between the generation of adaptation knowledge and its application in practice.
More information on the Alpine Convention is available at http://www.alpconv.org/en/convention/default.html.
Alpine Space Programme: http://www.alpine-space.eu/home/
C3 Alps project: http://www.c3alps.eu/index.php/en/
AdaptAlp project: http://www.adaptalp.org/
Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) comprises eight EU Member States, the neighbouring countries Norway and Belarus, and the north-west regions of Russia. The EU Member States – Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany – and Russia are all directly bordering the Baltic Sea. Parts of Norway and Belarus are in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea. In 2009 the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) was adopted and adaptation to climate change was one of the 15 priority areas identified in the Strategy. Currently there are 17 priority areas and 5 Horizontal Actions within the EUSBSR and climate change adaptation is one of the actions under the Horizontal Action “Sustainable Development”.
Transnational cooperation on adaptation in the region has been supported by a number of projects funded through for instance the EU Baltic Sea Region Programme that is part of the Interreg programme in the region. Transnational adaptation projects funded by the EU Baltic Sea Region Programme are BalticClimate, BaltCICA and Baltadapt, many of which have focused on capacity building and knowledge exchange. Targeted support for developing national adaptation strategies has been provided to the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia in the BaltClim project.
Under the EUSBSR’s framework, a strategy and action plan for adaptation for the macro-region were drafted in the BaltAdapt project. The proposals were based on a regional vulnerability assessment, impact assessment reports, macro-regional climate information and a gap-fit analysis of adaptation research and policy design. The strategy and action plan have been put forward for political endorsement under existing cooperation fora under the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). In the ongoing follow-up policy process, member states have been invited to a round table to discuss next steps in transnational cooperation on climate change adaptation based on the recommendations from the strategy and action plan.
More information on transnational cooperation on adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region:
climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/baltic-sea-region
www.cbss.org/environment-and-sustainability/eusbsr-hasd
www.baltadapt.eu
www.baltcica.org
www.balticclimate.org
Danube Region
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) is a united response to challenges affecting an area that stretches from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, including over 100 million inhabitants. The Strategy provides a framework of cooperation for the region’s 14 countries to address their common challenges from flooding to transport and energy links, environmental protection and challenges to security.
The accompanying Action Plan includes the preparation of a regional Adaptation Strategy for the Danube Region as soon as possible. This effort is supported by a number of specific actions, many of which focus on activities at various river basins in the region. For example in the Sava River Basin a pilot project is ongoing to develop an integrated water resources management and climate adaptation plan for the river basin. The Danube Region will be a new cooperation area in the next INTERREG VB funding period 2014-2020, which may further encourage transnational adaptation-related collaboration as seen in the Alpine and Baltic examples above.
More information on the Danube Region Strategy: http://www.danube-region.eu/.
Observatory for climate change in the Pyrenees
Along with other mountain areas, the Pyrenees have been identified as particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change. To this effect the Pyrenees Climate Change Observatory was created as a framework for shared actions by the Working Community of the Pyrenees in 2010. The Working Community represents a total of eight political entities: seven regions from France and Spain in the Pyrenees area and the Principality of Andorra. Adaptation to climate change is one of the identified priorities of the Pyrenees Working Community.
The Observatory’s primary objective is to monitor and thus have a better understanding of climate change in the Pyrenees area and initiate studies with the aim of identifying actions necessary to limit the impacts of climate change and adapt to its effects. One of the outputs of the Observatory’s work is an online database that displays practical adaptation initiatives and actions in the Pyrenees territory. The Observatory is also part of further developing transnational cooperation between mountain areas across Europe through a technical partnership with the European Environment Agency.
More information on the Observatory’s website: http://www.opcc-ctp.org/.