Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Adapting to climate change: the European Union must prepare for the impacts to come

Environmental Expert.com: The European Commission presented today a White Paper outlining actions needed to strengthen the Union's resilience in coping with a changing climate. Recent findings indicate that the impacts of climate change will be swifter and more severe than indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2007 report. Europe will not escape these effects and must therefore prepare to cope with them. The impact of climate change will have varying regional implications meaning that most adaptation measures will need to be taken nationally and regionally. The framework presented by the Commission sets out a two-phase strategic approach to adapting to the impacts of climate change in the EU which complements actions taken by Member States through an integrated and coordinated approach.

…Over the next 50 years climate change is likely to have profound effects on important economic sectors such as agriculture, energy, transport, ecosystems, tourism and health. It will also affect households and businesses and certain sectors of society, notably the elderly, the disabled and low-income households.

The White Paper presents a framework within which the European Union and its Member States can prepare for the impacts of climate change. A first phase of the strategy will run until 2012 and will lay the groundwork for preparing a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy from 2013 and beyond. It will focus on increasing our understanding of climate change and possible adaptation measures and how adaptation can be embedded in key EU policies. Decisions on how best to adapt must be based on solid scientific and economic analysis, yet information content and availability differs widely across regions. The paper outlines the need for a Clearing House Mechanism in which to exchange information on climate change risks, impacts and best practices….

Playa de la Malvarrosa in Valencia, Spain, shot by Manuel M. Vicente, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

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