Dear members of the Regional Studies Association,
we would like to bring to your attention a one-day workshop entitled “How much solidarity in
financing adaptation to climate change in Europe?”, which will be held in Brussels on 14 October
2011, back-to-back with the 9th European Week of Regions and Cities. While a wide range of experts
(from various EU Commission Directorates, the European Investment Bank, the European
Environment Agency, research institutions and the private sector, among others) have already
signed up for the event, we still have some places available for interested stakeholders, especially
experts with a background in regional development, who are yet underrepresented.
The workshop is part of the EU-funded integrated research project RESPONSES – European responses
to climate change (www.responsesproject.eu). It will take place at Neth-ER (Netherlands House for
Education and Research), Rue d’Arlon 22. The final agenda is attached to this email.
What is the workshop about?
The impacts of climate change are unequally distributed across the EU, its member states and
regions. While some regions and sectors will benefit, others will have difficulties coping with
impacts. At the moment, adaptation is mostly treated as a local problem. However, economic,
social and environmental cascading effects may affect the European Union as a whole and give rise
to a need for more solidarity, an aspect that is also highlighted in the EU White Paper on
Adaptation.
The purpose of the workshop is twofold:
1. To present and reflect on an EU-wide impact and vulnerability assessment that we have
recently completed in the RESPONSES project. This quantitative assessment, which includes
heat waves, floods, forest fires and droughts, highlights regional hotspots of climate change
impacts and will serve to frame the second part of the workshop.
2. To encourage critical discussion among the policy and the scientific communities about the
prospects and challenges for adaptation burden sharing in the EU: What kind of adaptation
problems require concerted European action? What are adequate instruments to address
these problems and what might be the implications for EU policies? What political barriers
would need to be overcome?
How to apply
If you would like to participate, please reply to responses@ivm.vu.nl, providing some details about
your background and the expertise you could bring to the event.
We look forward to seeing you at the workshop.
”How much solidarity in financing adaptation to climate
change in Europe?”
workshop
Friday, 14 October 2011
9:00 – 16:30
Neth-ER, Aarlenstraat / Rue d’Arlon 22, Brussels
09:00
Registration
09:30
Welcome and Introduction (Prof. dr. Frans Berkhout, Institute for
Environmental Studies (IVM), coordinator of the RESPONSES project)
9:40
“Hotspots of potential climate change impact and vulnerability in Europe findings from a multi-hazard quantitative analysis”, (Dr. Tobias Lung, Joint
Research Centre of the European Commission)
Response I (Dr. Philippe Monfort, European Commission, DG Regio)
Response II (Dr. Barbara Botos, Head of Climate Policy Department.
Hungarian Ministry of Development)
11:15
Coffee break
11.30
“National perspectives on financing climate change adaptation”
(Plenum discussion; moderator: Frans Berkhout)
12:15
Lunch
13:15
A European perspective on financing adaptation to climate change (Dr. Claus
Kondrup, European Commission, DG Clima)
13:45
“Solidarity in European adaptation to climate change”
Focus groups: group exercise on adaptation problems that require crossEuropean attention and solidarity.
15:15
Coffee break
15:30
Panel discussion on findings from the focus groups
16:15
Conclusions (Frans Berkhout)
16:30
Closing and drinks