Download Air Quality Assessment

The impact of extreme weather
across Europe – findings, actions
and constraints at regional level
Paulo Gomes
Vice-President of CCDR-N
8 NUT III
 86 municipalities
 21.300 km2 area (circa 25% of
the country)
 138 Kms of coastline (16% of
Portugal)
 568 km of border line
 3,7 millions of inhabitants (more
than 1/3 of national population)
 64% of GDP per capita UE/25
(56% EU/15)
 8th poorest region considering
EU/15;
 More than 44% of the
Portuguese exports
 1/3 of national companies
(mainly micro and SME’s)
CCDR-N – Obligations and responsibilities
Public institution that has the mission to promote the
integrated and sustainable development in the North
of Portugal
Some of its policies are related to:
- Planning and regional development;
- Environment;
- Support to local municipalities and its associations
- Nature’s and biodiversity’s protection and sustainable use of
natural resources;
- Urban requalification;
- Management of the operational regional interventions
- Cooperation between regions.
SOME FINDINGS
It is not clear what is the tendency for the climate change.
However, the available data allows us to conclude:
- The minimum temperatures seem to be rising (based on
the analyses of the 80’s and 90’s decades, until 2006);
- Tendency for the disappearance of intermediate seasons;
- Increasing pressure over coastal areas: coastal erosion
and urban flash floods;
Some Examples of how the Norte Region is tackling the problem
1. Air Quality Assessment;
2. Water Issues;
3. Regional Strategic Agendas;
1. Air Quality – assessment and improving
PM – Percentage of stations exceeding the daily limit value
2001 - 2006
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
Air quality monitoring stations
20%
10%
0%
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
O3 – Number of hours surpassing the information threshold
2001 - 2006
1000
900
800
700
600
Air quality analyzers
500
400
300
PM and O3 are the pollutants that register
the higher levels in the North Region
200
100
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
1. Air Quality – assessing and improving
Plans and Programs to improve air quality
At the present time, CCDR-N is finishing the Execution Program, to
be officially approved by a council of ministers on February 2009.
The measures defined to improve air quality will be of mandatory
implementation.
Some measures to implement…
•Reducing the average age of municipal transports
•Improving the public transports net
•Reducing domestic combustion (fireplaces) emissions
•Reinforcing the supervising of industries
•Information and education of population on air pollution
2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues
A. Land and Water Planning:
Preparation of River Basin Management Plan (just started)
Estuarine Plans and Coastal Zone Plan revisions (next year)
Environmental Risk Assessment Tool (next year)
B. Integration of water issues within other
policies:
Regional development
Energy
Tourism
Agriculture
Inland navigation
2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues
Land and Water Planning
PGRH
RH1
RH1 – Minho e Lima
RH2 – Cávado, Ave e Leça
RH2
RH3 - Douro
Land use planning (PROT)
Estuarine Plans + New Coastal Zone Plan
RH3
2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues – the risk assessment
Sea Level Raising
a first reference at PROT Norte (2008)
Off-shore
Shore
Inland
A Managing Strategy for Mitigation and Adaptation based on Risk Assessment
Climate Changes
Changes
Climate
Basin
Management
Economical
Social
Val
uin
g
Uncertainty
Environmental
Probabilistic
Assessment
Plans
Risk Perception
Risk Evaluation
River
Contingency
Plans
3. Regional Strategic Agendas
Innovation
Internationalization
Sea
Creative Industries
Fashion
Health
Tourism
Employment
Transports
Energy
Digital Region
Business
Cities and Urbanism
Rural Development
Environment
- Some
14 Regional
Strategic
Agendas:
the region
framework until
examples
from
the Energy
Agenda:
2015;
- promoting the rational management and governance of
energy
- the
Centred
in demand;
the main principles of sustainable
development,
principle
of precaution
and principle
of
- promoting energy
efficiency
through initiatives
and
prevention.
experiments at local and regional level;
valorisation
of neighbourhood
and proximity
renewable
- -In
each Agenda,
the goal is to achieve
In each,
the goal is
toenergies;
achieve a more rational and sustainable use of resources,
through
the informed
and stimulated
intervention
of all
- promotion
of an innovative
environment
in the energy
citizens
a decision making
processand
based
on a the
use andand
management,
by improving
sponsoring
prospective
and projects
anticipatory
action.
quality of R&D
in this
area.
How can these agendas be used as tools to tackle
the possible increasing impacts of the climate
changes in our territory?
Conclusions
Although there’s a considerable degree of uncertainty about what to
expect in the short term considering climate changes and their impact on
our territories, it is clear that “something important is happening”.
How to deal with it?
-Developing continuous monitoring;
- Introducing environmental risk assessment tools in the process of
decision making;
- Holistic approach: integrating climate change agenda issues
within other policies, namely regional development, energy,
tourism, agriculture and inland navigation policies;
- Integrating populations and stakeholders in the process;
- Implementing a strategic rationale: the regional agendas for the
energy, the sea, the rural development and the environment;
Thank you for your attention
www.ccdr-n.pt
+351 22 608 63 00
Paulo Gomes
CCDR-N
[email protected]