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CEEweb for Biodiversity
Széher út 40, 1021 Budapest, Hungary
Phone: +36 1 398 0135
Fax: +36 1 398 0136
[email protected]
www.ceeweb.org
Analysing national climate strategies in the CEE region
Climate change is clearly a top priority issue among environmental matters today. Considering the size
of the threat, the capacities devoted to the issue, as well as the interconnectedness of environmental
and development issues; what is happening in the field of climate change is largely decisive for the
state of environment.
Healthy ecosystems and their natural processes are vital elements of the climate system due to their
basic role in global cycles of carbon and water, but they are just as important in local and regional
adaptation to climate change. Besides, their services are free, and often provide multiple benefits for
climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Yet
there are many attempts nowadays to make climate change a separate sector and favour technological
solutions for the mitigation and adaptation challenges, which require large inputs in terms of energy
and natural resources. However, as experience shows, such solutions are often very costly and require
maintenance. Furthermore, many of them offer end-of-pipe solutions for the challenges of climate
change which, since leaving the driving forces untouched, might on the long run even expand the
problem and transfer environmental pressure to other fields. There are already signs that climate
change actions lead to ecosystem degradation, which in turn further deteriorates also the climate
problem.
As being parties of the Kyoto protocol, EU Member States are obliged to develop their national
programmes on climate change mitigation and adaptation. CEEweb has compiled a questionnaire
about these strategies in order to assess CEE governments’ approach to climate change. Our goal with
this survey is to draw EU and national decisionmakers’ attention to the critical points and deficiencies
in current climate change policies and thus prevent adopting further false “solutions”. Eventually our
aim is to work for a sufficient and holistic climate policy both in national and EU level, and to convince
EU decision makers to represent a strong position and strengthen the ecosystem approach during the
upcoming international negotiations, most importantly UNFCCC COP16 and Rio+20.
Questions regarding National Climate Strategies
1.
Identifying and targeting the pressures1 behind climate change
It is generally agreed that climate change is caused mainly by anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and
other greenhouse gases (GHGs). GHGs may well be the most important direct pressures on the
climate system, but since the global climate system is very complex determined by many factors,
probably there are other important pressures as well, such as large scale degradation of
ecosystems and excessive use of natural resources (both leading to disturbed biogeochemical
cycles).
Does the Strategy identify pressures leading to climate change besides GHGs? If yes, please
specify.
yes
no
.....................................................................................................
1.1. Emissions
A good tool for analyzing policy measures is the DPSIR model (Driving Forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Response) developed by
European Environmental Agency (EEA). If we apply this holistic approach to the changing climate (being the State) and its
adverse effects (being the Impacts), our Responses will be the mitigation and adaptation measures. These Responses can target
the Impacts (e.g. building river dams as adaptation to extraordinary floods), the Pressures (e.g. regulating anthropogenic CO2
emissions while keeping the current economic framework) or the Drivers (e.g. decreasing our total demand for energy and
space).
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1.1.1.
What is the overall CO2 equivalent emission reduction target identified in the Strategy?
.....................................................................................................
What sectors are identified as main contributors to the emission reduction?
.....................................................................................................
1.2. Natural resources
1.2.1.
Does the Strategy estimate a sum of the use of natural resources?
yes
1.2.2.
Are natural ecosystems included as ’natural resources’?
yes
1.2.3.
no
no
Are there any strategic goals aiming to sustainable use of natural resources? If yes, please
specify.
yes
no
.....................................................................................................
1.3. Land use
1.3.1.
Are agriculture and forestry identified as sectors which need to contribute to achieving the
emission reduction target?
yes
1.3.2.
If yes, are synergies between these sectors and biodiversity conservation strengthened?
yes
1.3.3.
no
Does the Strategy count with virtual pressure? (pressure brought on the environment by
imported products or natural resources)
yes
2.
no
Beside direct ones, does the Strategy recognize by-pass (indirect) pressures leading to climate
change (e.g. excessive use of fertilizers, through the formation of nitrogen oxides)?
yes
1.3.4.
no
no
Identifying the drivers2 behind climate change
A good tool for analyzing policy measures is the DPSIR model (Driving Forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Response) developed by
European Environmental Agency (EEA). If we apply this holistic approach to the changing climate (being the State) and its
adverse effects (being the Impacts), our Responses will be the mitigation and adaptation measures. These Responses can target
the Impacts (e.g. building river dams as adaptation to extraordinary floods), the Pressures (e.g. regulating anthropogenic CO2
emissions while keeping the current economic framework) or the Driving Forces (e.g. systemic change of current socio-economic
framework).
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2.1. Identifying the pressures is very important, yet the real causes for climate change are one step
behind: the drivers which have lead to so dramatic increase of these pressures.
Does the Strategy identify the drivers of climate change? If yes, please specify.
yes
no
...............................................................................................................
2.2. Does it identify measures targeting these drivers? If yes, please specify.
yes
no
...............................................................................................................
3. Does the Strategy aim to satisfy the future needs of energy with increasing share of renewable
energy sources?
yes
no
3.1. Does it prefer sources which are not depletable (solar and wind energy)?
yes
no
3.2. Does it prefer biomass including biofuels?
yes
no
3.3. Does it aim to protect forests and other natural or semi-natural ecosystems from the land use
change due to the growing need for biomass?
yes
no
3.4. Does the Strategy determine the possible locations and maximum areas of biomass plantations?
yes
no
4. Adaptation
4.1.1.
Does the Strategy aim to strengthen ecosystem services as adaptation to climate change?
yes
4.1.2.
Does it propose to stop further degradation of natural ecosystems?
yes
4.1.3.
no
Does it propose floodplain revitalization as a tool for flood protection?
yes
4.1.4.
no
no
Which of the following sectoral provisions are included in the Strategy? (please underline)
conservation
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-
maintaining heterogenic structure of habitats, with different stages of succession
fighting against invasive species
establishing green corridors
reconsidering and, if needed, enlarging the area of protected land and Natura 2000 in the light
of climate change
restoring degraded ecosystems
increasing ecological coherence at landscape level
forestry
-
increasing the forested area
close to nature forest management
agriculture
-
supporting traditional agriculture (meadows, pastures)
enhancing heterogeneity of agricultural landscape (small parcel size, balks, hedges, alleys) to
increase connectivity of habitats
taking steps against expansion of intensive agriculture and large monocultures
supporting environment-friendly methods
supporting soil- and water-friendly technologies adjusted to the attributes of the site
supporting extensive and ecological farming
using locally adapted breeds
5.
Is the Strategy part of a coherent environmental policy with holistic approach? Does the
Strategy propose to integrate the policy of climate change in the following policies? (if yes, please
underline)






agri-environmental and forest-environmental programmes
Water Framework Directive activities
rural development
regional development plans
authority permissions
energy policy
5.1. Has a permanent consultation body on climate policy been proposed, for the synthesis of
knowledge, development of adaptation strategies, and sectoral integration?
yes
no
5.2. Does the Strategy aim to support scientific research on the ecological aspects of climate change?
yes
no
6. Does the strategy propose a monitoring system to detect ecological changes due to climate
change?
yes
no
6.1. Does it aim to integrate this monitoring system into existing national and international monitoring
networks?
yes
no
6.2. What are the indicators?
.......................................................................................................................................
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7.
Does the Strategy aim to raise public awareness about climate change?
yes
no
CEEweb for Biodiversity is a network of non-governmental organizations in the Central
and Eastern European region. Our mission is the conservation of biodiversity through the
promotion of sustainable development.
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