Factsheet: LIFE & Climate change adaptation

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LIFE

& Climate change adaptation

The EU LIFE Programme The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with added value. Since its start in 1992, LIFE has been continuously co-funding innovative projects that help address the EU’s transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy, strategically underpinning the implementation of the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change and demonstrating ways to meet the climate action challenges from now to 2030. With more than 4 171 initiatives supported to date, 142 projects have been exclusively on climate change adaptation – with a total allocation of €308 million. LIFE has thus tackled possible threats and hazardous events, making a significant contribution to the fight against climate change. Of the many issues addressed by LIFE, there is a focus on practices and measures that promote resilient communities, safeguard natural resources, encourage protection of ecosystems and foster adaptive technologies for economic sectors that are vulnerable to climate change. LIFE has focused on forest fires and flood prevention measures and the application of the precautionary principle. It also made a particular contribution to the development and elaboration of hydrological and climate models as tools necessary to address water scarcity and droughts. Other projects supported by LIFE developed tools and novel technologies demonstrating realistic climate change scenarios for specific sites to enable impact and vulnerability assessments and suggest the most appropriate adaptation measures to protect biodiversity and improve urban and rural resilience. Two such good LIFE practices are profiled here, and a list of 14 other projects is attached. Further details about these, plus more than 125 other climate change adaptation projects, can be found in the LIFE project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/ Title: HydroClimateStrategyRiga - Integrated Strategy for Riga City to Adapt to the Hydrological Processes Intensified by Climate Change Phenomena

F L O O D R I S K M A N A G E M E N T

Project number: LIFE08 ENV/LV/000451

Title: ACT - Adapting to climate change in Time Project number: LIFE08 ENV/IT/000436 Contact: Comune di Ancona (Local authority) Email: marco.cardinaletti@comune.ancona.it

Contact: Riga City Council

Website: www.actlife.eu/EN/index.xhtml

Email: renars.grinbergs@riga.lv Website: www.rigapretpludiem.lv

HydroClimateStrategyRiga

ACT

Certain areas of Riga are subject to regular flood events. For that reason, the project conducted a preventative study of hydrological processes, such as sea water surges caused by storms – a major flood risk in Riga – spring spates, territorial flooding caused by precipitation and coastal erosion, which in combination with climate change may lead to economic loss as well as having a negative impact on the natural and cultural heritage.

The Adapting to Climate Change (ACT) project developed a local adaptation strategy that took into consideration the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change through a well-defined, integrated and participatory process.

The acquired data and the Riga City Relief Model – exclusively developed for the exploration, modelling and anticipation of the effect of such hydrological processes – were used as a basis for practical suggestions and flood prevention recommendations in the territory of Riga city. Moreover, the project’s specialists analysed successful flood threat combating practices in other European cities, such as Antwerp (Belgium), the Hague and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and Hamburg (Germany), where flood management is based on extensive and long-term flood risk research, modelling, monitoring, forecasting and planning. Solutions to reduce flood threat were provided, like reconstruction and construction of dams or ramparts, watergates and floodgates, earthwork, improvement of rainwater drainage and melioration systems, as well as coastal strengthening. Finally, the methodological approach enables new construction projects to be included and evaluated in the model, thus facilitating the decision-making process of local authorities into the future.

Three municipalities in regions that appeared particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change – namely Ancona (Italy), Patras (Greece) and Bullas (Spain) – were examined so as to identify an effective municipal strategy for local climate change adaptation measures. Each municipality created a Local Adaptation Board (LAB), a multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial working group to consider aspects like environmental protection, soil protection and water resources management. Preliminary studies analysed the effects of climate change, with the evaluations being used to help draft the local adaptation plan (LAP) for each city. ACT identified a successful approach to drafting an adaptation plan at local level by increasing the knowledge base of local actors and citizens about problems linked to climate change. It also highlighted the importance of implementing preventive measures to tackle current climate change events and enhance urban resilience, as well as mapping out all sources of information to identify possible gaps and demonstrate solutions for the most vulnerable systems and sectors.

U R B A N R E S I L I E N C E

Environment

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SELECTIVE LIST – PROJECTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION Water Change

VACCIA

Medium and long term water resources modelling as a tool for planning and global change adaptation. Application to the Llobregat Basin

Vulnerability assessment of ecosystem services for climate change impacts and adaptation

Beneficiary: Cetaqua, Centro Tecnologico del Aqua www.life-waterchange.eu

LIFE07 ENV/E/000845

Beneficiary: Finnish Environment Institute www.syke.fi/projects/vaccia

LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000141

WIZ

TRUST

WaterIZe spatial planning: encompass future drink water management conditions to adapt to climate change

Tool for regional – scale assessment of groundwater storage improvement in adaptation to Climate Change

Beneficiary: ACQUE S.P.A. www.wiz-life.eu/index

LIFE09 ENV/IT/000056

Beneficiary: Autorità di bacino dei fiumi Isonzo, Tagliamento, Livenza, Piave, Brenta-Bacchiglione www.lifetrust.it

LIFE07 ENV/IT/000475

AgriClimateChange

CATERMASS

Combating climate change through farming: application of a common evaluation system in the 4 largest agricultural economies of the EU

Climate Change Adaptation Tools for Environmental Risk Mitigation of Acid Sulphate Soils

Beneficiary: FUNDACIÓN GLOBAL NATURE www.agriclimatechange.eu

LIFE09 ENV/ES/000441

Beneficiary: Finnish Environment Institute

www.catermass.fi

LIFE08 ENV/FIN/000609

FLOODSCAN

CHANGING THE CHANGE

LArge scale adjustment of new technology for fast, precise and cost-efficient hydraulic 2d-modelling of flood (hazard) areas by combining laser scanning with remote sensing data

LIFE+campaign ‘Changing the change’. The Galician agriculture and forest sector facing climate change

Beneficiary: Bayerisches Landesamt fur Umwelt

Beneficiary: Unions Agrarias – UPA

www.lfu.bayern.de/wasser/hw_ ue_gebiete/floodscan/index.htm LIFE06 ENV/D/000461

www.unionsagrarias.org/lifecambiarocambio/index_uk.asp LIFE07 INF/E/000852

Power

Las Rozas por el clima

Project for optimization of water and emission reduction

Local Action Plan for Fighting Climate Change in Las Rozas de Madrid: Application and Evaluation of Municipal Management Methods

Beneficiary: Fundacion San Valero

Beneficiary: Ayuntamiento de Las Rozas de Madrid (local authority) www.lifepowerproject.eu

LIFE08 ENV/E/000114

www.lasrozas.es/

LIFE08 ENV/E/000101

HydroSense

ClimaBiz

Innovative precision technologies for optimised irrigation and integrated crop management in a waterlimited agrosystem

Financial Institutions: Preparing the Market for adapting to Climate Change

Beneficiary: The Goulandris Natural History Museum (NGOs) www.hydrosense.org

LIFE08 ENV/GR/000570

Beneficiary: PIRAEUS BANK SA

www.climabiz.gr

LIFE08 ENV/GR/000552

GAIA

Re.S.C.We.

Green Areas Inner-city Agreement “GAIA”

Restoration of Sentina coastal wetlands

Beneficiary: Comune di Bologna

Beneficiary: Municipality of San Benedetto del Tronto

www.lifegaia.eu

www.life-rescwe.it

© European Union, 2015

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LIFE09 ENV/IT/000074

LIFE09 NAT/IT/000608

Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life

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