kick off seminar programme med – 22/11/2007 - parc chanot, marseille adaptation strategies to...

Kick Off Seminar Programme MED – 22/11/2007 - Parc Chanot, Marseille

Adaptation strategies to Climate Change impacts Adaptation strategies to Climate Change impacts in the in the MedMediterranean Area: an investigation iterranean Area: an investigation

theme in the framework of the MED programmetheme in the framework of the MED programme

Carlo Cacciamani (*) & Renata Pelosini (&)Carlo Cacciamani (*) & Renata Pelosini (&)

(*) Arpa Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy(*) Arpa Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy(&) Arpa Regione Piemonte, Torino, Italy(&) Arpa Regione Piemonte, Torino, Italy

Workgroup 2: Protection of the environment and Workgroup 2: Protection of the environment and promotion of a sustainable territorial developmentpromotion of a sustainable territorial development


OutlineOutline

The observational evidence of Climate change The observational evidence of Climate change in Europe and in the Med Areain Europe and in the Med Area

Which are the most disturbing impacts in the Which are the most disturbing impacts in the Mediterranean Area ?Mediterranean Area ?

What about Adaptation strategies ?What about Adaptation strategies ?

Link with the Med programmeLink with the Med programme


The observational evidence of Climate The observational evidence of Climate Change in Europe and in the Med AreaChange in Europe and in the Med Area


Mean annual rainfall PO river catchment1975-2006: 20% reduction

R2 = 0.1589

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200.0

400.0

600.0

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1800.0

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mm

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Projections of futureProjections of futureClimate ChangeClimate Change


Key messagesKey messages

• Global warming is inequivocal

• Climate change projections are generally in line with previous assessments and depend on the emission scenarios

• The Mediterranean is an especially vulnerable region to global warming, specially during the warm season (spring/summer)

• Some further climate change is unavoidable so we will need to manage the unavoidable (adaptation) but avoid the unmanageable (mitigation).


Which are the most disturbing Which are the most disturbing impacts in the Mediterranean area ?impacts in the Mediterranean area ?


• Higher risk of Extreme weather events like fires, floods, landslides, Higher risk of Extreme weather events like fires, floods, landslides, storms and heat wavesstorms and heat waves

• The Mediterranean is suffering more and more from droughts. The Mediterranean is suffering more and more from droughts.

Water scarcity may become a persistent problem to manageWater scarcity may become a persistent problem to manage

• The combined effects of heat and drought will severely affect The combined effects of heat and drought will severely affect agricultureagriculture

• Seaside tourism will shift from the summer to spring and autumnSeaside tourism will shift from the summer to spring and autumn • Increasing demand for electricity for cooling. More frequent power Increasing demand for electricity for cooling. More frequent power

cuts due to increased demand, storm damage, shortage of cooling cuts due to increased demand, storm damage, shortage of cooling water, and reduced water capacity for hydropower water, and reduced water capacity for hydropower

• Snow is already melting in the Alps and the skiing industry is very Snow is already melting in the Alps and the skiing industry is very concerned. concerned.

Examples of impactsExamples of impacts

Examples of ImpactsExamples of Impacts


What about Adaptation strategies ?What about Adaptation strategies ?


What is adaptation?What is adaptation?

• Adaptation is a series of actions taken to cope with a changing climate, e.g. increased rainfall, higher temperatures, scarce water or more frequent storms...

• Adaptation may need to tackle present problems or anticipate changes in the future, aiming to reduce risk and damage cost-effectively, and perhaps even exploiting potential benefits

• Adaptation includes transnational/national/regional strategies and practical steps taken at community level or by individuals, and may be anticipatory or reactive. It applies to both natural and human systems.


Actions: mitigation & adaptation optionsActions: mitigation & adaptation options

mitigation

&adaptation

CAUSE: decrease CAUSE: decrease greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse gas emissions

EFFECTS: adjust systems to Climate EFFECTS: adjust systems to Climate Change to decrease damages, exploit Change to decrease damages, exploit opportunities and manage consequencesopportunities and manage consequences

• increase energetic efficiency• use of renovable energy• energy saving• ri-forestion

effects

time

Cl.Ch. Impacts

World with no actions

Only mitigation

mitigation and adaptation


Adaptation optionsAdaptation options

Hard approach: technological and infrastructural options

Long realization

time

Large investment Impacts

and priority sizing

Soft approach: non structural options

Short realization

timeNegligible costs and

included into social/economic developing

Applicable with

uncertain knowledge


….some examples of hard actions

• adapting building to future climate conditions and extreme weather events

• building flood defenses and raising the levels of dykes

• developing more drought-tolerant crops• choosing tree species and forestry practices

less vulnerable to storms and fires• setting aside land corridors to help species

migrate.


Soft adaptation options• Education• Optimisation of use of the resources (ex.: Water !)• Setup of risk prevention systems• protection of environment and of population health- social-economic welfare

Instruments development

setup of operational environmental monitoring and

forecasting systems

Developing awarenessTo reduce environmental, economic,

information, social, behavioural barriers opposing adaptation options

• applicable• efficient• fair• accessible• linked to the context

• institutional preparation• social learning• involving of stakeholders• high governance capability• public information


Desertification: Better knowledge of territory vulnerability

Health risk: medium and long planning of prevention actions before the occurrence of extreme meteo-climatic events, increasing diseases and mortality (heat waves, respiratory diseases due to allergenic pollens...)

Coastal areas: Abandonment of coastal areas to their natural evolution, conservation of natural zones (sand dunes) at interface between land and sea

Agriculture: modification of agronomic practices (ex: optimize seeding timing) or more structural changes (drastic change of cultivation). Promotion of technological innovation to maximise efficiency

Biodiversity: synergy with protection actions of natural environmental resources; creation of protected areas, wet and coastal areas...

Hydrological risk: Improving monitoring and forecasting capability and systems. On a longer time scale, setup (or change) of territorial plans taking into account climatic change. Promotion of policies for a better use of the territory decreasing geological risk (landslides).

Adaptation strategiesAdaptation strategies

Examples of adaptation actionsExamples of adaptation actions


Link with the Med programmeLink with the Med programme


““Adaptation” and the Med Adaptation” and the Med ProgrammeProgramme


Priority axis 2: Protection of the environmentAnd promotion of a sustainable territorial development

Main issues defined within Axis 2 where adaptation options may be devised:

Protection of biodiversity, maritime habitat, water resources, sea (ob. 2.1). Major risks: fire, floods, droughts, reduction of water resources, landslides (ob. 2.4)

In order to promote a sustainable development, different bodies in charge responsible of regional developments have to take into account also the effects of climate change as a further “forcing” to the environment, and have to improve cooperation to ensure responsible development and preserve and valorize natural resources and heritage (for example: sustainable tourism),


The development of adaptation actions is coherent with the priority 2 of the MED program and contributes to the realization of ob. 2.4 (risk prevention) and 2.1 (protection and valorization of natural resources and heritage)

Adaptation is one the strategies to propose to manage natural risk occurrence that could increase in changed climate conditions. Furthermore, adaptation actions concur to the protection and valorization of the natural resources, because reduce the external pressures to the environment

CONCLUSION - 1CONCLUSION - 1


It is necessary to define, in the MED area, macro-activities and (strategic ?) actions, to be achieved in a transnational cooperation, finalized to improve:

Specific knowledge, common monitoring and communication tools necessary to identify in great detail the main impacts of Climate Change and the more useful and reliable adaptation strategies (in term of environmental and economical sustainability)

Methods and technologies finalized to setup and manage the devised adaptation strategies. These actions needs a strong transnational coordination in order not to duplicate efforts and allow “state-of-the art” elaborations

CONCLUSION - 2CONCLUSION - 2


The endThe end

Thank you Thank you

kick off seminar programme med – 22/11/2007 - parc chanot, marseille adaptation strategies to...

Documents

seminar programme med

med area slide

marseille slide

parc chanot

climate change impacts

med programme carlo

mediterranean area

reduction slide