12th EMS & 9th ECAC, 11 September 2012
European climate services capabilities
European information on climate change impacts,
vulnerability and adaptation
André Jol
(head of group vulnerability and adaptation)
EEA member and cooperating
countries
The European Environment
Agency is the EU body
dedicated to providing
sound, independent
information on the
environment
We are a main information
source for those involved in
developing, adopting,
implementing and
evaluating environmental
policy, and also the general
public
Member countries
Collaborating countries
EU policy processes
•
Climate change adaptation (White Paper 2009 and planned EU 2013
strategy)
•
Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth:
‘strengthen our economies' resilience to climate risks’ and EU low-carbon
strategy 2050
•
Draft 2014-2020 Multi-annual Financial Framework, proposal for share
of climate-related expenditure (mitigation and adaptation) to 20%
•
Environmental policies:
• Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive
• Nature protection directives, policies to halt biodiversity loss
• Marine Strategy Framework Directive; Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM)
•
Sectoral, cross-cutting: maritime, agriculture; forestry; human health;
disaster risk reduction; infrastructure e.g. energy, transport; urban areas
•
EU funded research (Horizon2020), future GMES climate service
Adaptation Strategy 2013 objectives
•
The knowledge objective:
•
•
•
•
The facilitation and cooperation objective
•
•
•
furthering the understanding of climate change vulnerability/adaptation
improving the knowledge base
dealing with uncertainties
 Feeds into the EU Climate-ADAPT platform
facilitating exchange between and cooperating with Member States,
regions, cities and all other relevant stakeholders
providing guidelines for adaptation
The policy and market objective
•
•
Integrating adaptation into EU policies
Use potential of market, market-based instruments and the private sector
in strengthening adaptive capacity, preparedness and response actions
Roadmap
Adoption
of the STRATEGY
START
January 2012
 Background studies
 Consultations
 Cooperation with
Commission services
24/05/2012
March 2013
Impact Assessment
to IA Board
EU Adaptation Strategy
 Communication
 Impact Assessment
 Staff working document
 Guidelines
5
2012 report on climate change impacts,
vulnerability and adaptation
•
Two EEA reports due end of 2012
(update of 2008 report)
•
Indicator-based (climate system;
impacts of climate change;
vulnerabilities/risks)
•
Adaptation assessment (EU, national,
sectoral)
Objectives:
•
Present past and projected changes and
communicate uncertainties
•
Identify sectors and regions most vulnerable/at risk
•
Highlight gaps in monitoring, data, scenarios
•
Increase awareness of need for adaptation
•
Present adaptation strategies, actions and measures
implemented or planned
Content CC impacts and vulnerability report
Indicators:
• Climate variables
• Cryosphere (glaciers, snow and ice)
• Marine environment and biodiversity
• Coastal zones
• Inland waters (quantity and quality,
biodiversity)
• Terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity
• Soil
• Agriculture
• Forestry/forests
• Fisheries
• Human health
• Energy and transport
• Vulnerability indices
Europe’s key past and projected impacts and risks/vulnerabilities
Urban adaptation to climate change
(EEA report May 2012)
• Heat waves, flooding, water
scarcity and droughts
• Planning urban adaptation
• Multi-level governance enabling
urban adaptation
http://eucities-adapt.eu
European Climate Adaptation Platform Climate-ADAPT
•
Supports governmental
decision-makers
developing/implementing
climate change adaptation
strategies, policies and
actions
•
Guided by advise from
countries (agencies and
ministries), Adaptation
Steering Group (chaired by
DG CLIMA), other
organisations (e.g. WHO
Europe), experts EU FP
projects
•
Launched 23 March 2012
(DG CLIMA, EEA)
•
EEA to maintain with JRC
and supported by ETC CCA
http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu
This section provides
Adaptation
an introduction
has This
to be
tosection
Tools:
taken into
Online
presents
consideration
support
information
tools developed
on differentfor
adaptation from a when
European
defining
perspective:
and implementing
levels:
CLIMATE-ADAPT
other policies,
eg agricultural policy, water management etc.
• How is the EU climate changing:1. Countries:
Links: Relevant
information
organisations
on National
and
Adaptation
online
This is what we callStrategies
« mainstreaming
platforms
and policies
»
- Observations of current climate trends
This section describes
2. Transnational
Database:
how the EU
possibility
regions:
is
adaptation
to search the
activities
entire to
- Future projections under different scenarios
mainstreaming climate
facechange
transboundary
database
adaptation
of Climate-ADAPT,
issues
in key
in a coordinated
including
• What risks we will
sectors
face as
of aEU
consequence
policies
way.that
research
Examples:
will be projects,
affected
Alpine Space,
by
adaptation
Baltic
options,
region case
climate change
etc studies, indicators, guidance documents,
• How we can adapt to reduce our vulnerabilities
etc
3. Urban areas: cities are particularly vulnerable
• What adaptation measures are available in
to adaptation. This section will present results
different sectors, eg water
and tools from DG CLIMA’s « Cities and
Adaptation » Project
3 key tools have been developed
for CLIMATE-ADAPT
Adaptation support tool
Overview of countries activities
Case study search tool
Adaptation Support Tool
The Adaptation Support Tool guides the
user through the policy making cycle of
adaptation: from the assessment of risk
and vulnerability to the identification,
implementation and evaluation of
adaptation measures
For each step it provides:
• Guidance Documents
• Information Resources
• Risk and assessment tools
• Relevant case studies
• Links to useful information
Overview of National Activities
CLIMATE ADAPT presents
information on National Activities
for most European Countries
European countries are at very
different stages of development of
climate change adaptation policies
There are 12 countries with an
adopted adaptation strategy and
CLIMATE-ADAPT has gathered
information on adaptation
actions/measures/strategies from
25 European countries
CLIMATE-ADAPT contains a database of case studies
Users will be able to upload their case studies
All case studies will be quality checked and made available to
the European adaptation community
Case study search tool
How are people, cities,
regions adapting to climate
change in Europe? What can
we learn from others?
This tool allows to browse all
available case studies in
Europe, searching by sector
or climate impact.
1. A location is selected (eg
Marseille)
2. A climate impact
selected (eg drought)
is
3. The tool shows all
available adaptation case
studies. Red dots are case
studies in a region with
similar climate impacts as
Marseille (Southern Europe).
Grey dots are case studies
outside that region
EU policies:
water management
For each sector, CLIMATE-ADAPT presents how
the EU is mainstreaming adaptation
This is relevant in particular for the water sector,
which will be severely impacted by climate change.
Each sector page presents relevant:
• Indicators of climate change
• Publications
• Research Projects
• Information resources
CLIMATE-ADAPT: water stress projections
Users of CLIMATE-ADAPT will be able to visualize the key results of ClimWatAdapt, a study which
provide a comprehensive analysis of risks and vulnerability in the water sector.
This will allow the assessment of vulnerability to climate change impacts and adaptation
measures in the water sector
Comparison of countries actions
• Almost all EEA member countries provided information
• Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation assessments : 17 (AT, BE, CH,
CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU, LT, NL, NO, RO, PT, SE, UK)
• Research programmes: 4 (FI, NL, NO, SE)
• Climate Services /Met Office: all to some extent (no details available)
• Web Portal
• Broad: 7 (AT, DE, DK, FI, NO, SE, UK)
• Narrow: 8 (BE, ES, FR, HU, LT, NL, PT, SI)
• National adaptation strategies: 13 (BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU,
MT, NL, PT, SE, UK)
• Some of these also have adaptation action plans
• Monitoring of adaptation (indicators): 2 (DE, UK)
Example UK
• Climate Change Act 2008 (includes
both mitigation and adaptation)
• UK-wide climate change risk
assessment (CCRA) every five years
(first in Jan 2012)
• National adaptation programme (NAP)
(first 2013, to be reviewed every five
years)
• Reporting on adaptation by “reporting
authorities”
Source: DEFRA (2012), see:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/government/risk-assessment/
Methodology UK CCRA
Key elements of UK CCRA
• Synthesis of state of knowledge from stakeholder workshops,
literature, and new analysis
•
Assessment for more than 100 climate change risks
•
Analysis of risks based on UKCP09 projections for three time
frames (2020s, 2050s, 2080s) and three emissions scenarios (Low,
Medium and High)
•
Comparison of social, economic and environmental threats and
opportunities on a logarithmic scale
•
Consistent method for analysing the magnitude and confidence
•
Identification of priorities for action in eleven sectors (five
themes: natural environment; buildings and infrastructure; health and
wellbeing; business and services; agriculture and forestry)
•
Reports for individual sectors, themes, UK, national, regional levels
Source: DEFRA (2012), see:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/government/risk-assessment/
‘Adaptation pathways’ Example UK Thames barrier
‘Adaptation tipping points’ Example Rhine-Meuse
Conclusions
• Mainstreaming of climate change adaptation in EU policies is
taking place
• The European Commission will publish an EU adaptation
strategy in March 2013
• Many EEA member countries have developed impacts,
vulnerability and adaptation assessments
• Several EEA member countries have national strategies in place
(and some also national action plans)
• The European Climate Adaptation Platform may support climate
change adaptation strategies at various governance levels
• Exploiting synergies with national adaptation portals is needed
• Information can be updated and extended through working
with users and providers of information
Thank you for your attention
http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu