European climate change reports launched - 23 June 2009
Two new reports examining climate change adaptation and policy-making across Europe have been launched at an event in Brussels. Speakers included Peter Gammeltoft, Head of the European Commission's Protection of Water & Marine Environment Unit. The preliminary conclusions of the research have already been used in the European Commission's White Paper on climate change, published in April 2009.
Europe Adapts to Climate Change
(PEER Report No. 1)
The reports are published by the Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER), a grouping of seven of the biggest European environmental research institutes. PEER is chaired by Professor Pat Nuttall, Director of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), who welcomed publication of the reports.
Prof Nuttall said, "As PEER chair, I know how important it is to work together within Europe to ensure that future decisions will be based on the best information available, minimizing risks and, in some cases, turning threats into opportunities." There was a huge need, she added, for increased policy and programme evaluation from a climate change perspective.
The new publications deal with several aspects of implementing climate policy in Europe. The first report analyses the national adaptation strategies of the EU member states, identifying a number of common strengths and weaknesses of the current strategies in the countries studied. It identifies a variety of opportunities to strengthen their further development and implementation, including targeted scientific research.
The second report assesses the degree of climate policy integration in six different European countries, at national and local levels, as well as within key policy sectors such as energy and transport. It analyses measures and means to enhance climate policy integration and improve policy coherence.
Addressing those at the event, Peter Gammeltoft welcomed publication of the reports. He stated, "It is this sort of dialogue between the research institutes across Europe and national and European policymakers that is essential if we are to successfully deal with the many threats that climate change poses."
The lead authors of the two reports, Rob Swart from the Alterra institute in the Netherlands, and Per Mickwitz of the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), also spoke in Brussels.
Rob Swart, lead author of 'Europe Adapts to Climate Change', said that communication and awareness raising would be important to get public support for adaptation measures, and to help stakeholders to adapt. Since adaptation was very different from mitigation communication should be designed specifically for that purpose. He added, "It could well be that breaking down institutional barriers will actually be more important than the technical feasibility of adaptation options."
Dr Mickwitz, lead author of 'Climate Policy Integration, Coherence and Governance, explained that although the inclusion of climate change mitigation and adaptation in general governmental programmes and strategies had substantially increased, much more was needed in terms of integrating climate issues into specific policy measures. "Annual budgets, environmental impact assessments and spatial planning procedures are three examples of existing measures which we believe have significant potential to be climate policy instruments," he said.
Other speakers included Ellen Margrethe Basse of Aarhus University, and Katherine Richardson, Vice Dean, University of Copenhagen, who organised the recent Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen held in March 2009.
Additional information
A press release was issued to coincide with this event
Media enquiries about this work should be directed to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology press office
Recent CEH news stories about climate change science
Scientists present new challenges for climate change policy - 29 April 2009
CEH at the Copenhagen Climate Congress - 13 March 2009
Is global warming difficult to reverse? - 11 March 2009
