* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Climate Change
Instrumental temperature record wikipedia , lookup
Global warming hiatus wikipedia , lookup
Myron Ebell wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit email controversy wikipedia , lookup
Michael E. Mann wikipedia , lookup
Global warming controversy wikipedia , lookup
Economics of climate change mitigation wikipedia , lookup
Low-carbon economy wikipedia , lookup
Soon and Baliunas controversy wikipedia , lookup
Heaven and Earth (book) wikipedia , lookup
Fred Singer wikipedia , lookup
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on human health wikipedia , lookup
Mitigation of global warming in Australia wikipedia , lookup
Global warming wikipedia , lookup
ExxonMobil climate change controversy wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit documents wikipedia , lookup
General circulation model wikipedia , lookup
Climate resilience wikipedia , lookup
German Climate Action Plan 2050 wikipedia , lookup
Climate change denial wikipedia , lookup
Climate sensitivity wikipedia , lookup
Climate change feedback wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Canada wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Australia wikipedia , lookup
Climate engineering wikipedia , lookup
Economics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming wikipedia , lookup
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wikipedia , lookup
Attribution of recent climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate governance wikipedia , lookup
Citizens' Climate Lobby wikipedia , lookup
Politics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Solar radiation management wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Media coverage of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in the United States wikipedia , lookup
Climate change adaptation wikipedia , lookup
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Tuvalu wikipedia , lookup
Scientific opinion on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Public opinion on global warming wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on humans wikipedia , lookup
Business action on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change, industry and society wikipedia , lookup
Surveys of scientists' views on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Project: BALTIC 21 Draft Report: Background Paper on Climate Change Version: Author(s): Aslı Tepecik Diş, Anu Henriksson, Richard Langlais Original date: 16 March 2010 Previous update: This update: 2017-06-24 DRAFT Please do not quote! ____________________________________________________ Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 5 2. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 6 3. Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region ................................................................ 7 3.1 What is Climate Change ? ..................................................................................... 7 3.2 Adaptation and mitigation measures to cope with climate change............................... 8 3.3 Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Basin ................................................................... 9 3.4 Major Global and Regional Organizational Processes ............................................... 10 4. Member Organizations and Countries .................................................................. 12 4.1 Member Countries .............................................................................................. 12 4.2 Baltic 21 Member Organizations ........................................................................... 15 4.3 Review of Baltic 21 Action Programmes ................................................................ 20 5. Results From Web Questionnaire ......................................................................... 22 6. Discussions and Recommendations ..................................................................... 29 7. Final Recommendations ....................................................................................... 31 8. References ........................................................................................................... 32 Executive Summary The Executive Summary is comprised of 3 pages Context of the paper This Background Paper on Climate Change has been produced as part of Baltic 21’s aim to develop a new Strategic Action Plan for 2010 to 2015. The Action Plan will focus on four strategic areas: climate change; innovation and education for sustainable development; sustainable consumption and production; and sustainable urban and rural development. Accompanying the Strategic Action Plan for 2010 to 2015 will be a Portfolio of Actions. The Portfolio will be viewed as a living document of actions that Baltic 21 members and Baltic 21 Lighthouse Projects will be committed to implement. This background paper is the main source of input for both developing the draft Baltic 21 Strategic Action Plan 2010 to 2015 and the first version of the Climate Change actions to be included in the Portfolio of Actions. It is also seen as a major policy input to the Eco-region project funded under the EU BSR Programme 2007-2013. Given time and resource constraints, the paper represents, at the time of writing, the best available survey of Baltic 21’s collective thinking on the issue of active response to climate change. The goal of this background paper has been to collect a small number of specific recommendations that are achievable within a few years. They have been collected from among the Baltic 21 membership; and they have a high potential for leading to action, especially at local levels. To verify this, surveys, desktop studies, telephone interviews, the Växjö workshop (28 January 2010), and collaboration with the Baltic 21 secretariat were used to search for ideas for action-based proposals from the Baltic 21 membership. Executive Summary Page 1 of 3 Climate change has always been a part of Baltic 21, but embedded as a “sub-concern” within the broad variety of concerns represented in sustainability work. In the 1998 action plan for Baltic 21, An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region—Baltic 21, climate change is implicit in its focus on sustainable development, but it does not have the same emphasis as it does in the work of Baltic 21 today. At present, Baltic 21 has clearly included climate change in its scope of action for the coming years. Projected climate change in the Baltic Sea Region It is projected that the warming trend in the region will continue, with a strong increase in winter temperatures, especially in the north and east, along with a considerable reduction in the average snow cover. Projections for the future indicate that regional warming in the Baltic Sea Basin “exceeds the global mean warming” dramatically, especially during winter months in the northern areas, and in the summer months in the southern areas by approximately 1°C. Criteria for selection of proposals A proposal should appear often among the Baltic 21 membership; it should have a clear local dimension if its local character matches national goals in many countries, then that is advantageous, but not necessarily a top priority; proposals should not duplicate activities already underway by the membership; a proposal is stronger when it has both mitigation and adaptation characteristics; proposals that have a high likelihood of being achievable in 3-5 years are better; proposals for action that are practical and focused on implementation are best; most desirable is when the added value of cross-Baltic-21 cooperation is high. Executive Summary Page 2 of 3 Final short list of proposals for action 1. Promote climate-smart and “post-carbon” agriculture and forestry by supporting the adaptation of those sectors to the impacts of climate change. The entire cycle, from fertilizers, soil management, pest control, spatial arrangements and logistics is considered. Multiple spin-offs can be developed, such as “waste as fuel,” “forests as agriculture,” and consumer standards for “climate footprint labelling” of products. Footprint labelling is inspired by the Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) standard, which was instrumental in creating a platform for market dominance by northern European companies. 2. Organize educational activities in schools, for raising awareness about climate change, by developing and using innovative, interactive learning tools. The education of children, youth and even adults (when possible!), is an effective way to change attitudes. There is a great wealth of both traditional and new knowledge in the BSR, from everyday practice, cultural heritage and science. Finding ways to communicate and spread these valuable forms of knowledge about climate change via the school systems and into other institutional settings can be excellently served by BSR cooperation. 3. Developing “smart logistics” for mitigating CO2 emissions and other pollution linked to marine transportation Marine transportation is an important arena for BSR cooperation. The common sea and the complex routes crossing the BSR provide many opportunities for achieving climate change added value. Concepts such as, for example, “having the focus on the cargo, rather than the mode of transport,” “precision scheduling,” “green supply chain,” “reduced carbon footprint,” “smart tagging,” and “sensor chip systems interactions” are included. 4. Promoting the bio-energy potential in the Baltic Sea Region All countries of the BSR have impressive potential for cooperation in bio-energy production. Ideas such as developing a sustainability-labeling system for bio-energy and biomass with an emphasis on biodiversity preservation, as well as finding intersectoral interfaces with “post-carbon” agriculture and forestry are possible avenues for cooperation. 5. Developing a Baltic Sea Region Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Finding common approaches to local, sub-national and national adaptation strategies can be a useful shared platform for developing other collaborations, such as those above. By incorporating those commonalities into a shared strategy, efficiencies and clearer overviews of potential collaboration areas can be gained. It would be useful for rallying efforts and resources around major challenges that would otherwise be too large for any single actor. Executive Summary Page 3 of 3 4 1. Introduction This Background Paper on Climate Change has been produced as part of Baltic 21’s aim to develop a new Strategic Action Plan for 2010 to 2015. The Action Plan will focus on four strategic areas: climate change; innovation and education for sustainable development; sustainable consumption and production; and sustainable urban and rural development. Accompanying the Strategic Action Plan for 2010 to 2015 will be a Portfolio of Actions. The Portfolio will be viewed as a living document of actions that Baltic 21 members and Baltic 21 Lighthouse Projects will be committed to implement. This background paper is the main source of input for both developing the draft Baltic 21 Strategic Action Plan 2010 to 2015 and the first version of the Climate Change actions to be included in the Portfolio of Actions. It is also seen as a major policy input to the Eco-region project funded under the EU BSR Programme 2007-2013. As authors of this paper, we have been inspired by the mandate we have received from those who have commissioned it. It has been clear all along that the primary goal of the work was, and still is, to collect a small number of specific recommendations that possessed the quality of being achievable within the span of a few years. Although this is described in more detail in the concluding section of the paper, it can be reiterated here that whatever the recommendations would eventually be, they must firstly be collected from among the Baltic 21 membership; and, secondly, they must have a high potential for leading to action, especially at local levels. Since we are researchers in the field of “society’s responses to climate change,” we recognized those criteria as valid and appropriate, and appreciate that we have been entrusted with this role. We have been encouraged to be as unrestrained as possible in collecting the material that has served as the basis of the paper. Its intent is to be brief, but provide a reliable overview, and show the process by which a select number of action proposals would be the outcome of the paper. Given the time and resource constraints imposed by the intersecting policy processes which have allowed its production, the paper represents, at the time of writing, the best available survey of Baltic 21’s collective thinking on the issue of active response to climate change. At the same time as our autonomy from the Baltic 21 Secretariat was obvious, we also had the benefit of being welcome to consult with its personnel in order to search out the best available sources of material for the paper. Mia Crawford and her assistants (Project Officer Alexandra Ronkina and intern Maria Erashova) with their comprehensive knowledge of Baltic 21’s history and current activities, were able to confirm for us that the theme of climate change is, in its most precise sense, a more recent addition to Baltic 21’s portfolio of concerns. More generally, this is a situation reflected in that of most contemporary organizations, such as Baltic 21, that have been working with the theme of sustainable development for any number of years (and even decades); climate change has always been there, but embedded as a “sub-concern” within the broad variety of concerns represented in sustainability work. So, it is fair to say that, in the 1998 action plan for Baltic 21, An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region—Baltic 21, climate change is implicit in its focus on sustainable development, but it does not have the same emphasis there as it does in the work of Baltic 21 today. This is 5 similar to the situation of its Bio-energy promotion project (The Baltic Sea Region Bio-energy Promotion Project), where the aims of the project mesh perfectly with the concerns of climate change, even though the latter is not its direct focus. Notwithstanding those qualifications, it remains accurate to claim that Baltic 21 has clearly included climate change in its current scope of action for the coming years. Whatever the possible inadequacies of this Background Paper might be, in reflecting the actual activities of each of the members of Baltic 21, it must be specified that the membership has for the most part embraced climate change as another focus for their individual organizations’ work. Whether analyzing the results of the surveys, poring over their websites, or working with them in the Växjö workshop, we were impressed by the number of initiatives that are underway. Although those initiatives have been in most cases designed with the specific objectives of each organization in mind, our discussions and contacts with their representatives have resulted in a small number of ideas that have the potential to benefit greatly from the added-value of cooperation at the Baltic Sea regional level. Those recommendations, as well as a selected listing of a number of the many other recommendations that were proposed during the collection process, appear in the last parts of this paper. 2. Methodology The method for the preparation of this background paper has been to combine information from several different sources. The intention was to be as exhaustive as possible, given the resource constraints, in canvassing the membership for their views. In order to identify the possible actions for climate change in the Baltic 21 membership, a desktop analysis together with a web-based survey were carried out and complemented with selected telephone interviews. Additionally, through a consultation process1 set up by the Baltic 21 Expert Group on Sustainable Development, with the participation of various stakeholders and the Baltic 21 members, the possible actions were further evaluated. Preliminary desktop study helped us to analyse the challenges in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) regarding climate change and identify the methods Baltic 21 member organizations utilize while pursuing their respective climate policies. The background information on climate change was based on literature studies while the data concerning member organizations’ concrete goals and strategies were acquired through their respective web portals as well as their publications. Furthermore, two other Nordregio researchers, namely Stefanie Lange and Lisa Van Well, provided information from their ongoing work in the BaltCICA (INTERREG IVB) project for this background paper. Subsequently, assessment of the policy documents such as the “EU BSR strategy” and the Baltic 21 Series No 1/98: An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region, was initiated, to reveal whether there were any action points addressed that would be of relevance for the future work of Baltic 21 or not. Member countries and organisations are planning to develop adaptation strategies or are in the process of developing them while some have already arrived at concrete policies. We especially placed emphasis on examples and activities regarding the national administration and political barriers while briefly elaborating the collaboration networks between member states and the agencies. Following the analysis, the policies were described and the draft was submitted to the organisation in question to ensure the integrity of the study. According to the feedback received, the work description of the member organizations was formulated. Even though some organizations failed to respond to our queries, we assume that those who wanted to clarify their climate change activities provided their respective feedback. 1 EcoRegion Stakeholder Event on Baltic 21 Strategy took place in Växjö on 28 January 2010. 6 While the desktop analysis and related documents present examples of climate strategies, they do not reveal concrete indications for the future cooperative actions; this is otherwise an essential consideration for the overall sustainability goal of the BSR through the Baltic 21 membership. Therefore, to determine the potentials for the future joint climate change actions in the BSR, we distributed a questionnaire to 70 key personnel from among all, and each, of the Baltic 21 member organizations whose contact information had been provided by the Baltic 21 Expert Group on Sustainable Development. The results from this questionnaire were employed during the round table discussions at the EcoRegion Stakeholder Event on Baltic 21 Strategy, which started with a list of potential joint project ideas derived from our analysis, based on the methodological elements stated above. Furthermore, this process helped us to explore a broad set of ideas and opinions represented through the Baltic 21 members; which in turn led us to a satisfactory level of consensus on the most relevant, prominent and feasible joint actions. The process and the proposed actions collected at the Växjö meeting were further evaluated in comparison with the results of the questionnaires, interviews and desktop analysis as well as review of relevant policy documents. The outcome of the entire process is the short list of selected, final recommendations in the final section of this paper. 3. Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region 3.1 What is climate change? Our Earth is experiencing atmospheric warming mainly related to the increased release of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). These gases absorb heat from the sun and tend to warm the Earth’s surface while scientific evidence indicates that the continuous accumulation of the GHGs in the atmosphere has prevented the absorbed heat from leaving the atmosphere. Some of this heat is being trapped, consequently creating the greenhouse effect. GHGs are only one source of climate change; aerosols such as black carbon and land use changes such as deforestation and agriculture also cause global warming.2 The definition of climate change is still under debate, concerning primarily whether it is due to climate variability (natural processes) or anthropogenic actions (human induced). Nevertheless, the scientific consensus is that, starting from the mid-19th Century, the evaluation of global average temperature indicates that the distribution of human activities in parallel with the Industrial Revolution have altered the atmospheric concentrations and elevated the greenhouse effect. The world´s most authoritative scientific body within the climate change discourse is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the World Meteorological Institute (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in 1988. IPCC gathers more than 2000 climate scientists worldwide for the assessment of the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to the current state of atmospheric warming and presents the likely impacts of climate change every 5-6 years. According to the IPCC´s latest assessment report; there is “an unequivocal warming of the earth´s climate and this is very likely due to human actions.” The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) refers to the term ‘climate change’ as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human 2 IPCC(2007), Synthesis Report 7 activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.”3 IPCC uses a rather neutral term with respect to “any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.”4 The scientific evidence states that climate change is likely to result in rapid and dramatic changes to some of the major geophysical elements of the Earth if global average temperatures continue to rise. Once climate tipping points are reached, catastrophic events are projected to occur more frequently. Arid regions may become barren, rising sea levels may flood coastal areas and melting glaciers may flood communities downstream; depleting the future sources of water supplies. Up to 30% of animal species may become extinct. However, new evidence5 has emerged since the last update of the climate science, showing that ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctic are melting faster than projected. This fact threatens the coastal cities and low-lying islands dramatically. IPCC’s scenarios are already being anticipated as being too conservative as new research results are announced. The definition of what constitutes dangerous human intervention is location-specific; however since it is certain that the impacts are and will be witnessed globally, cooperation at different levels is required to effectively address climate change. 3.2 Adaptation and mitigation measures to cope with climate change The key strategies to be undertaken in order to respond to this global threat are described as climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.6 The term mitigation refers to making plans to secure developments that would contribute to reducing GHG emissions for stabilizing climate change and moving towards a low carbon society, whereas adaptation refers to taking into account the unavoidable consequences. While adaptation can be seen as direct prevention, mitigation can be viewed as indirect prevention.7 In order to reduce vulnerability to climate change, adaptation efforts are considered to be imperative. While climate change mitigation is mainly tied to top-down approaches, whereby trade-offs between economic activity and emissions reduction are taken into account, based on the technological and economic activities of the respective countries, adaptation is considered to be place-based and therefore tied to bottom-up approaches.8 The IPCC emphasizes the synergy in linking adaptation and mitigation by stating that the interaction between these measures can be greater if both measures are implemented together, rather than separately.9 However, linking mitigation and adaptation at the national and sectoral level can be challenging as the actions and policies involve different sectors. For instance; while mitigation measures involve transport, industry and energy, adaptation actions tend to focus on most vulnerable sectors such as agriculture, forestry, coastal zone management and land use systems. On the other hand, promoting synergies between mitigation and adaptation can be productive at the sectoral level, since adaptation measures 3 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Article 1 4 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4, 2007) 5 Synthesis Report from Climate Change Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions, Copenhagen, 10-12 March 2009 6 IPCC Working Group I (AR4, 2007) Verheyen, R. (2005), Climate Change Damage and International Law: Prevention, Duties and State Responsibility, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, chapter 6, p. 348 7 8 IPCC Working Group II (AR4, 2007) 9 IPCC Working Group I (AR4, 2007) 8 in agriculture, including forestry and land-use, have implications for carbon sequestration and reducing GHG emissions.10 3.3 Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Basin The Baltic Sea and its entire water catchment constitute the region of the Baltic Sea Basin, which is in the transition zone between continental and maritime climates, and has a fairly young geological structure. It is herefore exposed to both continuing geological formations and to the changes in climate caused by increased human activities in regional as well as global processes.11 The Baltic Sea has been experiencing the effects of climate change due to changes in greenhouse gases since the middle of last century. It may lose a great amount of its seasonal ice cover during the 21st Century. The shrinking of winter periods and the decrease in their severity, and the observed thinning of ice covers, are examples of the transformation that the Baltic Sea is experiencing. A total increase of 3-to-5 °C is expected by the end of the century; that would result in drier summers, decrease in the salinity of water between 8 and 50 percent, thinner icecaps and an increase in the annual precipitation both geographically and seasonally.12 Due to this increase in the annual precipitation, hydrological cycles will be intensified.13 With the increasing water temperature, the Baltic Sea might also face changes in its habitat, with new species entering from other parts of the world.14 Eutrophication is a fact of the recent past in the Baltic Sea and still it has been documented to change the biota and pose a direct threat to health with toxic algal blooms. Eutrophication phenomena is expected to enhance the production and biodiversity in the ecosystem to a marked extent and is projected to lead to a collapse due to chemical and biotic interactions. A new ecological balance is expected with low biodiversity and high variability due to periodic occurrences of dominant species.15 The Baltic Sea Region, with both industrialized and semi-industrialized countries contributing to global GHG emissions to a considerable extent, is particularly vulnerable to the problems posed by climate change due to its location in the northern hemisphere, where a significant temperature rise has already been observed. Climate change is a common task for the 11 states16 of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), due to the common problems the region will face.17 Engelman, R. et al. 2009. State of the World, Into a Warming World, A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Towards a Sustainable Society/W.W. Norton & Company, New York, London. 262 p. 10 Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area, Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, HELCOM Thematic Assessment in 2007, Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 111 11 Barbir, J. et al.2009. An appraisal of measures to cope with climate change in the Baltic Sea, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 82-91 12 Jacob, D. and Lorenz, P. 2009. Future trends and variability of the hydrological cycle in different IPCC SRES emission scenarios — a case study for the Baltic Sea region, Boreal Environment Research 14: 100–113 13 Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area, Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, HELCOM Thematic Assessment in 2007, Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 111 14 The BACC (BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin) Author Team. 2008 Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin. Springer,p.30 15 The eleven states of the Baltic Sea Region are; Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden. 16 Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area, Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, HELCOM Thematic Assessment in 2007, Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 111 17 9 This paper benefited from the BACC report 18, which provides an overview of observed and simulated long-term changes for the Baltic Sea Basin. According to the global climate model simulations studied in the report, all the regional climate change scenarios, in general, are consistent with the global climate change scenarios; indicating a warming trend. This is also true for the entire Baltic Sea Basin regarding all seasons where atmospheric temperatures will continue to increase for every sub-region within. During the late 20th century, this warming trend caused a decrease in the duration of the winter period and a thinning of ice cover in all of the Baltic Sea catchment area, as stated above. In the last decade, the precipitation has increased in the northern part of Europe and the weather has become milder. The eastern part of the Baltic Sea, Sweden in particular, witnessed the largest increase, especially regarding winter and spring seasons. 19 In the southern parts of the Baltic Sea basin, the precipitation has decreased during summer, as opposed to the northern parts. In the southern part of Poland, for instance, a decrease in cloudiness and an increase in sunshine duration have been observed, whereas in Estonia the opposite tendency has occurred. Furthermore, decrease in the aerosol emissions to the atmosphere increased the direct radiation and affected the air quality according to the observations made in Estonia. It is projected that with the continuing warming trend, there will be a strong increase in wintertime temperatures in the region, especially in the northern and eastern parts of the Baltic Sea Basin, with a considerable reduction in the snow cover. Recent climate change, with the warming trend from 1861 to 2000, has been recorded as 0.08 C/decade for the Baltic Sea, whereas the global warming trend has been 0.05 C/decade. Based on this, the future projections indicate that regional warming over the Baltic Sea Basin “exceeds the global mean warming” dramatically especially during winter months in the northern areas, and in the summer months in the southern areas by 0.9 ˚C, or some 50 % higher in relative terms.20 3.4 Major Global and Regional Organizational Processes The European Union and the United Nations also have climate change strategies and actions that affect the BSR. European Union (EU) The EU level policies and strategies related to climate change have two lines: firstly, the direct climate change policies for all EU countries, and secondly, the regional approach, with the Baltic Sea strategy launched in 2009. The common climate change policies include different regulations, monitoring and reporting. Adaptation to climate change has been discussed in the report, Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Europe in 2005; it was produced by the European Environmental Agency.21 The Green Paper on Adaptation from 2007 had a fourpronged approach. The Commission's Green Paper Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action22, indicated that adaptation policies are emerging in nearly all member The BACC (BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin) Author Team. 2008. Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin. Springer. 490p. 18 19 Ibid.p.24 20 Ibid.p.25 21 EEA. 2005. Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Europe. EEA Technical report. No 7/2005. Commission of the European Communities. 2007. Green paper: Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action. COM(2007) 354. 22 10 states and that sharing of experiences from early adaptation action and research are of utmost importance. The paper highlighted that adaptation to climate change is likely to benefit from experience gained in reaction to extreme climate events and implementation of specific and proactive climate change risk management. Other adaptation-related strategies concern coastal zones and areas by the water. The risk of flooding and other natural hazards on coastal zones are discussed in different approaches, namely coastal management (Integrated Coastal Zone Management), flood protection (Flood Directive23) and maritime policy (Green paper on Maritime Policy24, 2006). In 2009, the European Commission presented a Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the White Paper on climate change adaptation25, setting out a European framework for action to improve Europe's resilience to climate change; emphasising the need to integrate climate adaptation into all key European policies; and enhancing co-operation at all levels of governance. Another key issue is that the impacts of climate change vary by region, which calls for regional adaptation strategies. Mitigation-related activities include greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting, and the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP), which produces reports on its working group outcomes. The European Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme (ETS) was launched in 2005, and is now in the second period, which will expire in 2012. The third EU ETS trading period will cover the period 2013–2020. The EU also adopted an integrated energy and climate change policy 26 in December 2008, with short-term but ambitious targets for 2020: cutting greenhouse gases by 20% (30% if international agreement is reached) reducing energy consumption by 20% through increased energy efficiency meeting 20% of our energy needs from renewable sources. In addition, EU is funding research on adaptation in the 7th Framework programme. Also regions affected by natural disasters get support (i.e. emergency funding) from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). The BSR regional approach was started in 2007 when EU started to develop the Baltic Sea Strategy27 with main objectives being improvement of the environment, increasing economic growth and making the area more attractive and accessible but also safe and secure. The strategy, adopted in 2009, aims at coordinating actions between numerous actors in the area to promote more balanced development of the region. The environmental issues stand high on the list among innovativeness, accessibility, and safety and security. The integration is supported by networks of different kinds. Climate change is one priority area in the strategy. Climate change is further emphasised in the EU BSR Strategy Action Plan.28 Climate change mitigation and adaptation is one of fifteen 23 Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks Text with EEA relevance. Commission of the European Communities. 2006. Green paper: Towards a future Maritime Policy for the union: a European vision for the oceans and seas. COM(2006) 275. 24 Commission of the European Communities. 2009. White paper: Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action. COM(2009) 147. 25 See for example information at EurActiv Network Available at: http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/energy-climate-change-integrated-eu-policy/article-160957 26 27 Commission of the European Communities. 2009. European Union Strategy for Baltic Sea Region. COM(2009) 248. Commission of the European Communities. 2009. European Union Strategy for Baltic Sea Region: Action Plan. Commission staff working Document. COM(2009) 248. 28 11 points. The potential of the region to become a model region in the field of climate change is identified, especially in the fields of energy efficiency, sustainable transport modes and renewable energies. Practical approaches are for instance research activities, cooperation between EU and Russia, and networking cities. Many other policies can also have indirect influences. Examples of that kind of action include those towards better ecological balance, and reducing risks posed to citizens, infrastructure and environment, by various hazards. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) set an international treaty for confronting climate change in 1992. 192 countries around the world have joined the treaty, recognizing the climate change reality. The convention’s goal is to stabilize GHG emissions at a level that would make it possible for natural ecosystems, food production systems, and economic systems to adapt by providing a platform for collective action, emphasizing the differentiated responsibilities of developed and developing countries. UNFCCC’s work is fortified by receiving commitments made through bilateral, regional and multilateral forums such as the G8 and G20, the Major Economies Forum and by numerous initiatives of development assistance organizations, multilateral agencies and civil society organizations. Given the intrinsically prolonged nature of the UNFCCC negotiations (as in the example of the 15th Conference of the Parties which had issues left unresolved) that require accord among all participating countries, these harmonizing venues for promoting international cooperation may have greater potential to meet the need for critical action on climate change. 4. Member Organizations and Countries 4.1 Member Countries Denmark has described its national goals in climate change work in its National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2008 and in the Agreement on Green Growth formulated by the Danish Ministry of the Environment (2009). The main initiatives relate to renewal energy, i.e. wind power, solar heating (for instance in Dronninglund) and bioethanol (for instance in Bornholm). Regional actors are active in their climate change policies. Region Zealand has for example created Zero Carbon network.29 The research initiatives have recently been studied in the report Mapping of Climate Research in Denmark: Analysis and evaluation, (2009) by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Danish Coordination Unit for Research in Climate Change Adaptation and the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy.30 Finland has started work on climate change adaptation relatively early and the first National Strategy for Adaptation to climate change in Finland was launched 2005 31; the strategy was evaluated in 2009 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.32 The Finnish Ministry of 29 http://www.zero-carbon.dk/ The publication can be found at: http://en.vtu.dk/publications/2009/mapping-of-climate-research-indenmark/mapping-of-climate-research-in-denmark.pdf 30 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2005. National Strategy for Adaptation to climate change. 1a/2005. http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/ymparisto/5kghLfz0d/MMMjulkaisu2005_1a.pdf www.mmm.fi/sopeutumisstrategia 31 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2009. Evaluation of the Implementation of Finland’s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. 4a/2009. http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/julkaisusarja/2009/5IEsngZYQ/Adaptation_Strategy_evaluation.pdf 32 12 Employment and the Economy launched the National Climate and Energy Strategy in 2008.33 The Finnish Prime Minister’s Office published its Government Foresight Report on Long-term Climate and Energy Policy34 in 2009. There are several research programmes on climate change: FINADAPT (2004-2005), the Finnish Climate Change Communications Programme funded by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (2002–2007), the Research Programme for Global Change funded by the Finnish Environment Institute (2002–2009), the Climate Change Adaptation Research Programme ISTO funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (2006-2010) and FICCA by the Academy of Finland (2011–2014).35 Germany adopted its National Adaptation Strategy “Combating Climate Change” in 2008. Consequently the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) established the Centre for Competence on Climate Change Consequences and Adaptation (KomPass 36). On the basis of the National Climate Protection Programme (2005), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched a funding activity (KLIMZUG) in order to encourage innovative approaches to climate change adaptation through regional networks between science, companies, administration and public agencies. Two KLIMZUG projects concentrate geographically on the German Baltic Sea Coast: RADOST - Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast37 and KLIMZUG-NORD - Strategic Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.38 An example for a regional approach of Integrated Coastal Zone Management is the Coastal Information System Oder estuary. 39 Iceland’s Climate Change Strategy was launched by the Ministry for the Environment in 2007. It is a long-term vision for 2007-2050, which sets a framework for action and government involvement in climate change issues. The climate change questions seem to be strongly connected to weather and energy questions for natural reasons. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has made a study of Icelandic perspectives on adaptation to climate change and variability and the Hydrological Service at the National Energy Authority and the Icelandic Meteorological Office (2007–2010) have a joint project on Climate and Energy Systems – Risk, Potential and Adaptation. The latter project focuses on three main renewable energy resources; hydropower, biofuels and wind power, and how future climate change within the next 20–30 years can impact these resources. All the Baltic States—Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia—support global climate policies. They have also started their work with climate change adaptation. The Riga Spatial Plan for 2006-2018 includes a flood protection plan and there is as well a research programme on climate change impact on water environment in Latvia. Climate change considerations are also included in the national forest policy. Lithuania has also included climate change in the Forest Increase Programme 2003-2020. The country has as well a Baltic Sea Coastal Adaptation strategy from 2001. The government of Norway has published a report Adaptation in Norway - the government's work on adaptation to climate change (2008)40, but they have not yet finalized an official Valtioneuvoston kanslia, 2009. Valtioneuvoston tulevaisuusselonteko ilmasto- ja energiapolitiikasta: kohti vähäpäästöistä Suomea. Valtioneuvoston kanslian julkaisusarja 28/2009. Summary in English http://www.tem.fi/files/20587/Climate_Change_and_Energy_Strategy_2008_summary.pdf 33 34 Summary in English http://www.vnk.fi/yhteiset/tulevaisuusselonteko/pdf/Foorumien_aineisto/summary-en.pdf 35 Finnish Environmental Institute http://www.environment.fi/ 36 http://www.anpassung.net/ 37 http://www.klimzug-radost.de/ 38 http://www.klimzug.de/en/185.php 39 http://www.ikzm-oder.de/en/startseite.html Klimatilpasning i Norge. Regjeringens arbeid med tilpasning til klimaendringene. http://193.88.185.141/Graphics/Klimatilpasning/Andet_materiale/Klimatilpasning_redegjorelse150508.pdf 40 13 strategy for climate change adaptation or mitigation. The first step was, however, taken in 2006, with a report on vulnerability and adaptation to climate changes within sectors in Norway. After that, the Government launched a project, Cities of the Future (2008–2014) and the Ministry of the Environment launched an Online Portal Climate Adaptation Norway, in 2009. Research related to climate change is funded by the Research Council of Norway, with its research programme NORKLIMA (Climate Change and Its Impacts in Norway) 2008-2013. An example of a project is NORDADAPT (Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Norway), undertaken by the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research 41 2007-2010. Adaptation policies are strongly related to coastal management in Poland. A strategy for coastal area protection was introduced in 2000 and an Act on national state of disaster 2002. The city of Gdansk has prepared a flood protection programme. Russia is the third biggest green house gas polluter after China and the US. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is not currently pledged to decrease green house gases (they are now 34 % below 1990 level 42 and have a surplus of transferable emission quotas.43 Climate change as such is not a main issue on the national agenda, nor at the governmental, economic or citizen levels. Instead, issues such as economic growth and living conditions, and discussions about how climate change would impact upon the country, have hardly begun, although it is considered that many climate change incentives would enhance economic growth as well (such as more efficient use of energy and resources, which is a significant problem in Russia). However, Russia has ratified the Kyoto Protocol 2005.44 According to some NGOs (Bellona, Greenpeace Russia45), the Russian Government has published a Climate Doctrine for the country, in 2009, that concentrates on climate change adaptation. The climate-change-related negotiations are occasionally connected to other political issues. Climate change policies in Sweden emphasise renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reducing the use of fossil fuels. It is soon expected to produce a national climate change adaptation strategy; its Commission on Climate and Vulnerability started its work and published its final report in 2007, Sweden facing climate change – threats and opportunities.46 The government has a Coordinated Climate and Energy Policy to 2020.47 The local level has been an active actor on climate change policy and the Swedish Network of Municipalities in Climate Change was launched in 2003. The Swedish society for nature conservation published a report, The Municipalities’ climate work – climate index for municipalities, in 2005. The government funded research on climate change via a grant programme, Local Climate Investment Programme, or KLIMP, 2003-2006. Other research programmes are SWECIA, on Climate, Impacts and Adaptation, funded by the Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (2008-2011), and Climatools, funded by the Swedish Defence Research Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2006-2011). 41 http://www.cicero.uio.no Moskvitch, Katia. 2009. Climate talks leave Russia cold. Story for BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/europe/8415166.stm. Published 2009/12/16. 42 Perelet, Renat, Pegov, Serguey & Yulkin, Mikhail. 2007. Climate change. Russia Country Paper. Human Development report 2007/2008. Occasional paper. Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. Human Development Report office, UNDP. 2007/12. 43 44 Ibid. 2007. 45 In addition, Moscow Times and BarentsObserver.com have written about the Doctrine. Sweden facing climate change – threats and opportunities, 2007. Final report from the Swedish Commission of Climate and vulnerability. Swedish Government Official Reports SOU 2007:60. http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/09/60/02/56302ee7.pdf 46 En sammanhållen klimat- och energipolitik. Regeringens proposition 2008/09:162. http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/12/27/78/4ce86514.pdf 47 14 According to the results of the ASTRA project (2007), the attitudes among the BSR institutions it studied vary considerably at all administrative levels. The focus is often on mitigation, but pressure is being put on governments to develop adequate adaptation policy guidelines, which have often been missing. National, regional and local levels often have shortcomings in formulating programs and policies on climate change, even though they might have enough information on the issue. Successful adaptation processes are dependent on socio-economic factors and political will.48 4.2 Baltic 21 Member Organisations This section groups: 1) international international describes 26 Baltic 21 member organisations. They can be divided into five intergovernmental organisations, 2) international financial institutions, 3) sub-state and city networks, 4) international business networks, and 5) non-governmental organisations. This section introduces the climate-change-related initiatives, policies and reports that the organisations have produced to date. Intergovernmental organisations The Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs is an information and co-ordination platform for governmental and non-governmental youth policy actors in the BSR. Information about the organization’s climate change related policies could not be found for the production of this paper. The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is an intergovernmental organisation that works for the protection of the marine environment from all sources of pollution. HELCOM has a standing cooperation with the BALTEX (Baltic Sea Experiment) programme and BACC, in particular with BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change in the Baltic Sea basin, and as part of this cooperation HELCOM adopted a HELCOM Thematic Assessment on “Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area.” By May 2010 HELCOM intends to adopt a holistic assessment of the status of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area, also containing a sub-chapter on climate change and related foreseen impacts in the Baltic Sea, as well as recommendations for additional measures to protect the marine environment that may need to be taken as a result of impacts of climate change, such as foreseen increased nutrient loads.49 A visible player, especially on the western side of the BSR, is the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM). It has created engagement on climate questions and a working group for climate issues has been working since 1996. Its climate and air quality group will continue its work in the future, together with its COP15 group, which is to work until the Mexico Climate Conference. Last summer the prime ministers of the Nordic countries made a joint declaration on climate-friendly energy solutions. Concrete projects include, for instance, a subprogramme, “Impact studies and adaptation to climate change,” but the institutes working under the NCM50 have their own projects as well.51 A cooperation programme to mention is the Nordic Climate Facility, together with NDF:n and NEFCO. Other important themes at the moment are climate-friendly transportation, and building and environmental technology.52 Hilpert, K., Mannke, F., Schmidt-Thomé, P., 2007. Towards Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Baltic Sea Region - Developing Policies and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region, Espoo. 49 Commented by Anne Christine Brusendorff 48 50 For instance Nordic Energy Research, Nordic Innovation Centre (NICe), NordForsk, and Nordregio. Norden 2009. Towards a green future. Nordic Climate Solutions. ANP 2009:762. http://www.norden.org/da/publikationer/publikationer/2009-762 51 52 Commented by Mia Rahunen, NCM 15 The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has a committee on environmental policy, but climate change, at time of writing, was not directly mentioned on their website. Joint action on forests was found there, however, where UNECE describes, with regard to its role in European Forest Week, 2008 how it is combating climate change, alongwith other intergovernmental actors. The aim of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), located in Norway, is to communicate environmental information to policy-makers and facilitate environmental decision-making for change. They have environmental information management and assessment, capacity-building services, research and publications. In recent years, they have produced several reports on climate change, (for instance, UN 2008 Greenhouse Gas Footprint; Blue Carbon - The Role of Healthy Oceans in Binding Carbon; The Natural Fix? The Role of Ecosystems in Climate Mitigation; and Climate in Peril: A Popular Guide to the Latest IPCC Reports). The BSR is partly covered under the Polar programme, which produces integrated monitoring and forecasting services. For instance, the project “Arctic Polar View Satellite-Based Monitoring in Adapting to Climate Change,” also includes the BSR. The VASAB process (Vision and strategies around the Baltic Sea 2010) has been an important process for the BSR countries, increasing cooperation in spatial planning, with a vision of sustainable and balanced development. The VASAB Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region was presented at the seventh VASAB Ministerial Conference. It is transnational, strategic, spatial planning document on territorial integration, which aims to lead to wider territorial cohesion in the Baltic Sea Region. It highlights the present territorial development trends and challenges (including progressing climate change phenomena) that may endanger the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region, and sets both a long-term perspective and an action plan. Neither climate change adaptation nor mitigation are direct objectives for its climate change approach. The understanding we received, however, is that they have limited tools for implementing concrete initiatives. International financial institutions The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supports the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol by, for instance, its establishment, together with the Dutch government, of one of Europe’s first carbon trading funds. The €32 million Carbon Credit Fund invests in climate-friendly projects. The impact of projects on the global climate is assessed in the EBRD-financed project, Assessing EBRD Methodology for Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The European Investment Bank (EIB) finances climate-change-related activities that reflect the Bank’s mandate to implement EU and international policy and legislative initiatives, in particular in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors—especially for SMEs and municipalities, and in developing and middle-income countries. The Bank promotes actions in five broad areas: mitigation, adaptation, research &development & innovation (RDI), technology transfer & cooperation, and support for carbon markets. The sector-lending policies incorporate an emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and several funds deal even more directly with climate change questions: the 2020 European Fund for Energy, Climate Change and Infrastructure, carbon funds and GEEREF – Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund, to mention a few. The funded projects emphasise accelerated development, commercialization and diffusion of cost-effective low-carbon technologies, including technologies that allow for an environmentally-friendly use of fossil fuels, such as carbon capture and storage, and efficient car engines. In addition, as of January 1 st, 2010, its Climate Change has been included as a key-performance indicator in the EIB's Corporate Operational Plan, meaning that the measurement and evaluation of all lending activities is based on their contribution to combating climate change. 53 53 Commented by Giulia Macagno, EIB 16 The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) provides financing for projects that generate positive environmental benefits, especially for energy-saving and effectivisation, and technology transfer. They have approximately 350 small- and medium-sized projects that directly or indirectly reduce harmful emissions, mostly in Eastern European countries: the Baltic States, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The NEFCO Carbon Fund is a climate-changerelated tool aimed at developing carbon market mechanisms and at providing carbon credits for Nordic and German governments, as well as for private companies, to enable compliance with the Kyoto Protocol and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The share of environmental lending by the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) is 20 per cent of total outstanding lending, that is, EUR 2.8 billion. Their overall goal is to finance projects that strengthen competitiveness and enhance the environment. Examples of projects that have received loans include the construction of wind parks in Lolland, Denmark, and the upgrading of hydropower plants in Finland and Sweden. NIB has a lending facility, “Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,” (CLEERE) earmarked for financing “climatefriendly” projects.54 The World Bank has a climate change programme addressing especially global cooperation. The method is to support developing countries and contribute to a global solution by strengthening and building climate change partnerships. Examples of funding networks are the Clean Energy Investment Framework (2005) and theStrategic Framework on Development and Climate Change, from 2007. The latter takes a demand-based approach in identifying and tapping new business opportunities for developing countries and in helping them cope with new risks. Due to the focus on developing countries, the World Bank does not have numerous projects around the BSR. However, there are some funded projects in Russia and Poland. International sub-state and city networks Climate change questions are an integral part of the Baltic Local Agenda 21 Forum (BLA21F) and Local Agenda 21 strategies, action plans and activities. BLA21F’s goal is to encourage those at the local level to carry out sustainable development and to create an active cooperation network in the Baltic Sea Region. The methods are co-operation, experience exchange and training, dissemination of methods and examples of good practice. 55 The Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) is a political network for decentralised authorities (sub-regions) in the Baltic Sea Region. Acting as a regional partner of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), BSSSC promotes interregional co-operation and advocates the interests of the regions to national governments and EU institutions. Climate Change and Sustainable Development is one of five top priorities in 2009-2010, and this is shown for instance in its being a theme of the BSSSC Annual Conference 2009, with a focus on how regions can cope with the challenge of climate change. 56 The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) Baltic Sea Commission has the aim of balanced territorial development and regional competitiveness. They work for a sustainable society, the promotion of democracy, exchanges, co-operation and solidarity between the coastal zones and islands of the Baltic Sea including the Regions of the nonEuropean Union Countries. The goal is to promote common regional interests, especially in relations to the EU, national governments and the Baltic Sea organisations and neighbouring regions. CPMR Baltic Sea Commission has a thematic work group entitled Energy & Climate Change. 54 Commented by Johan Ljungberg, NIB 55 Commented by Bjarne Rasmussen 56 Commented by Anja Gargulla, BSSSC 17 The Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) is an association of local governments dedicated to sustainability. Its working methods are manifold: Local Action 21 among local governments and partners, providing information and tools, training, conferences, networking and city-to-city exchanges. There is a particular focus on research and pilot projects, as well as providing technical services and consultancy. ICLEI is active in different areas including: (i) advocacy, acting as the Local Government Focal Point to the UNFCCC for cities and networks worldwide, (ii) campaigns that address “protecting global common goods" such as climate and air, water, soil and land, biodiversity and health, e.g. in the Cities for Climate Protection™ (CCP) Campaign; and in (iii) projects such as Sustainable NOW (local energy action plans), MAKE-IT-BE (bio-energy focus), LG Action (local government role in energy and climate).57 The general goals of the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) are to promote and strengthen cooperation and the exchange of experience among cities, to advocate for the interests of the local authorities, and to act on behalf of the cities and local authorities in common matters of interest. Its goal is democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region. To support climate-change-related activities in member cities, the UBC expresses in its Resolution on Climate Change that it will support its member cities in playing an active role in taking necessary steps to reduce their contribution to the effects of climate change, and to make plans for adaptation to effects that already are foreseen. The UBC is implementing the “UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2010 – 2015,” which includes climate change as one of the main challenges for the Baltic Sea Region. The UBC also implements several climate-change-related development projects and was involved in organising the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit 2009. The UBC has also responded and commented on the Green Paper, Adapting to Climate Change in Europe – Options for EU Action, as well as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which includes several climate-change-related topics.58 International business networks The goal of the Baltic Fishermen’s Association is to extend the cooperation between the national fishery associations in the Baltic area. Information about climate change was not visible on its internet site. The Baltic Ports Organisation (BPO) has the goal of improving the competitiveness of maritime transport in the Baltic region by increasing the efficiency of ports, marketing the Baltic region as a strategic logistics centre, improving the infrastructure within the ports and the connections to other modes. Their vision is to promote the Blue Maritime Highway in the Baltic Sea. We could not find information about climate-change-related activities on their homepage. Sustainable and responsible tourism is one way for Baltic Sea Tourism Commission (BTC) to promote the BSR as tourist destination. BTC's resources are very limited and for the time being BTC's focus is the marketing of the Baltic Sea region as a tourism destination. However, BTC is also part of the Agora 2.0 project (approved also by Baltic 21), which also focuses on sustainable and responsible tourism.59 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) represents the global business community and its key tasks are setting rules and standards, promoting growth and prosperity, spreading business expertise and advocacy for international business. The ICC is also committed to working with governments and civil society to deepen understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change, and to identify, deploy and implement effective solutions to climate change. The role of cooperation is emphasised and the ICC has already participated in a wide range of environmental and sustainable development deliberations and negotiations with UNCED, WSSD, CBD, SAICM, CSD, etc. They also produce climate-related 57 58 59 Commented by Maryke van Staden, ICLEI European Secretariat Commented by Stella Aaltonen, UBC Commented by Thomas Mielke, BTC 18 papers and organise activities, side events and outreach, and inform the business community. The ICC has a Task Force on Climate Change, which monitors key issues and challenges surrounding the international negotiations on the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change and represents the policy positions of ICC member companies and associations. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) develops tools and methodologies for business and industries to measure and reduce CO 2 emissions. These include a technology roadmap that shows possible pathways to long-term carbon emission reductions (see the Cement Technology Roadmap: Carbon Emission Reductions Up to 2050, 2009) and a series of greenhouse gas protocols to account for and report emissions. The Council also runs specific sustainability initiatives and projects that concentrate on industry CO2 emission issues, such as the Sustainable Forest Products Industry (SFPI) Project, the Cement Sustainability Initiative, the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Project and the Electricity Utilities Project. The WBCSD also works more globally on the business side of energy and climate issues through its Energy & Climate and Business Role focus areas, as well as on ecosystems and development issues, including sustainable mobility.60 International academic network The goal of the Baltic University Programme (BUP) is to promote education that seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. The BUP has organised university course packages, worked for more sustainable campuses, trained faculty staff and supported academic centres for sustainable solutions. The 2008 annual Students’ Conference had a theme on climate change and it resulted in a Declaration on Climate Change in 2009, and a Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development. International environmental non-governmental organisations The Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) promotes the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and natural resources, especially those related to hydrology. Their methods are lobbying, information, environmental education and other activities for raising public awareness, concrete co-operation projects in the field, and support to member organizations. Climate change is not their main topic. The main objectives of the European Union for Coastal Conservation (The Coastal Union Baltic) Baltic States Office are to promote ICZM in the eastern Baltic area and to disseminate information on EUCC activities in the region. At national levels, the office works to facilitate national legislation on ICZM in the target countries. They are thus concentrating mostly on climate change adaptation policies. Their current projects regarding climate protection are CO2 sequestration in nature areas in central and eastern Europe, e.g., CoastLearn, CoPraNet (Coastal Practice Network). The organization, Keep Baltic Tidy (KBT), is an initiative of the organisations Håll Sverige Rent (“Keep Sweden Tidy”), in Sweden, and Håll Skärgården Ren (“Keep the Archipelago Tidy”), in Finland, which aims to initiate, implement and develop environmental projects for the general public, to contribute to sustainable development in the Baltic Sea area. The KBT’s activities focus, for instance, on environmental issues in guest harbours and marinas, Blue Flag activities, ECO schools, and public awareness campaigns; it also participates in projects initiated by other actors in the area. Its current activity is to produce material for energy and climate projects targeted for teachers working with pupils in 8th and 9th grades, work that has been commissioned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Earlier activities include, for instance, beach-cleaning-activities and campaigns against oil discharges and other waste from ships and leisure craft. The network also has arranged conferences and education seminars for target groups.61 60 Commented by Danielle Carpenter Sprungli, WBCSD 61 Commented by Henrik Alsén 19 The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) has conservation projects around the world and they have a visible concern about the climate change question, as well. The WWF has offices in most of the BSR countries. The WWF has a number of research projects in the BSR. A recent research project studied Effects of Climate Change on Eutrophication in the Northern Baltic Sea. Presently, WWF does not work on targeted, Baltic-level climate change projects; their work is mainly focused on global climate policy and technology. 4.3 Review of Baltic 21 Action Programmes The main document62 of the Baltic 21 provides extensive background on the implications of regional cooperation for sustainable development in the BSR, and defines the overall aim of the Baltic 21 initiative as working towards concrete policies and actions in this respect. The document emphasizes a long-term strategy to keep development within the limits of ecosystems and the resource base. Regarding this overall strategy, 30 actions are addressed, based on selected proposals from Baltic 21 sectors. These actions are divided into three parts, such as concentrating on the transition to sustainable development in the BSR through sector specific actions, spatial planning actions and joint actions. In the document, climate change is mentioned three times in an abstract mainly tied to energy-specific concerns. In fact, this document incorporates into the broader concept of sustainable development. Accordingly, it can be majority of the actions mentioned in the document are directly relevant as a potential cooperation on the climate change theme. manner and is climate change stated that the background for Some of the action programmes that can still be considered as highly relevant background for the future actions are as follows: Agricultural sector: Elaborate and implement agro-environmental legislation and policies. Energy sector: Strengthening co-operation between authorities. Increasing renewable energy and promoting increased energy efficiency and energy savings. Fisheries sector: Restoration of habitats important to fish and fisheries in inland waters. Achieving sustainable aquaculture. Forestry sector: Baltic 21 Series No 1/98: An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region adopted at the 7 th Ministerial Session of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 1998 in Nyborg. 62 20 Promotion of sustainable forest management and efficiency in private forestry within the Baltic Sea region through: existing organisational structures or networks of forest owners and leasers of forests; exchange of information on ways and means of advisory services between organisations and authorities that advise forest owners and managers. Promotion of the use of wood, and wood based products, as natural renewable resource and environmentally friendly material, and changing of consumption patterns in a more sustainable direction. Industry sector: Implement eco-efficiency in industry in the following respects; development of ecoefficiency tools for different industries; implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) with consideration of the special circumstances for small and medium sized enterprises; consideration of environmental factors in all activities and reporting, especially encouraging voluntary initiatives with regard to financial reporting of enterprises; promotion of pilot projects aiming at sustainable development. Extended and improved co-operation on research and development, knowledge and technology transfer in the BSR. Transport sector: Establish and strengthen collaboration among the governments with regard to measures for more efficient goods transportation in particular by improving railway and ship connection. Development of regional strategies to support sustainable sea transport. Joint actions: Increased production and use of bioenergy and other renewable energy. City co-operation and sustainable development issues in cities and communities. Procurement of technologies for sustainable development. Information for sustainable development. Spatial planning actions: Further Development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Nevertheless, as outlined in Section 3 of this paper, climate change carries severe implications for the sustainability of the region´s ecosystem, therefore, considering the multitude of impacts observed, urgent joint actions that are pragmatic (and most probably cross-sectoral) in their nature are required, rather than sector-specific approaches. In order to achieve sustainable development goals within the BSR, while tackling the threat imposed by climate change on the existing management systems, any opportunity for fostering innovations through a cross-sectoral approach towards action-oriented strategies should not be overlooked. 5. Results from Web Questionnaire 21 Baltic 21 Survey The main goal with the questionnaire exercise was to analyze if the Baltic 21 member organizations had any particular focus or ideas on climate change in their organizations and more specifically how those ideas would be translated into a joint action that would facilitate co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region to tackle this challenge. For this reason, the members were asked to identify a focal point in their own organizations about climate change as well as specify their ideas and/or rate the given options with regard to the theme. The questionnaire consisted of 10 questions and a total of 54 responses were received, however some of them were incomplete. Still, the content of the responses provided a sufficient basis for deriving the main messages and making a credible analysis of the approaches of the Baltic 21 members to climate change. In our search for concrete ideas that may be useful in addressing climate change in the Baltic Sea region; the same questionnaire was also sent to a larger audience, seeking input from different organizations, universities and governmental agencies in Nordregio’s own electronic network. From this survey; 77 responses were received mainly representing northern Europe, especially the countries in the Baltic Sea region. The results from that survey will also be presented separately in the appendix. The following is an outline of the main results from the questionnaire sent to Baltic 21 members: Climate change awareness In order to identify the concrete approaches at different institutional levels, a question was posed by simply asking if the member organizations have any concrete role in addressing climate change. As shown in Table 1, more than two thirds of the members (68%) stated that they have a particular focus on climate change in their respective organizations and by utilizing these responses, it was possible to triangulate the results with telephone interviews, the desktop study as well as the input from the stakeholder event where Baltic 21 members and stakeholders gathered in Växjö on the 28th of January in conjunction with the Eco-region project. These provide well-supported rationales for the formulation of the future actions. Table 1 The perspectives on different institutional levels 22 The respondents were asked to rank the relevance of the different institutional settings for their climate change related work. Options can be seen in the Table 2 where 1 indicates not an important consideration and 4 indicates a prime influence. The results show that organizations’ approach to climate change is inspired almost equally by all the relevant contexts at international, national, regional as well as local levels. However, the international agreements appear to have a slightly more influence on the approach that the members are taking towards climate change. Table 2 The added value of cooperative response to climate change The responses to the previous questions indicate the fact that developing coherent climate change actions is a complex task and requires a set of different steps such as coordinating institutions, developing strategies and searching for feasible frameworks, from the international to the local level. Therefore, it is important to know how the organizations could identify their roles in a potential Baltic 21 cooperation project and whether they see value working in the Baltic 21 network on climate change theme. As it can be seen in Table 3, more than 50 % of the member organizations mentioned that a cooperation project would have an added value for their organization. The detailed responses marked the possibility of learning from different experiences of the Baltic Sea region countries to work together in order to produce some evident results in improving environment in the region. Thus, the role of Baltic 21 is seen as promoter of project activities in this respect. Table 3 Linking adaptation and mitigation 23 As stated in the section 3.1 of this report; the implementation of a climate strategy requires mainstreaming mitigative and/or adaptive measures into different type of sectors; therefore a question was asked in order to understand which type of measure should be prioritized in the future actions. As Table 4 shows; the responses reveal that measures to be taken in this regard should place emphasis both on mitigation and adaptation strategies, emphasizing the synergies between the two. This means adaptation and mitigation measures should not be seen as separate approaches to climate change and that long-term efforts have to be combined with short-term actions at the project level as it can provide the platform to link the activities in specific ways. Table 4 Cross-sectoral response to climate change The respondents were asked to rank the importance of the given topics that were considered to be providing the most relevant contexts to tackle the climate change impacts. The aim with this question was to understand which topics and sectors should be prioritized for the potential actions in the Baltic 21 network. In relation to overall prioritization, energy issues were tied to the climate change concerns by the major part of the respondents. It was also revealed that sectoral agencies were prioritizing their field and to a minor extent the ministries are having an overarching role in relation to all sectors. However, most of the respondents commented on this question as it was difficult to answer on the basis of making prioritization between the listed topics since it mixes the importance of drivers and impacts of climate change, making it difficult to answer. In addition to this the emphasis would depend on the character of the actual projects and thus, there is a clear need for clarifying costs and cost effective instruments as part of the response. This rationalizes the fact that it is getting more urgent to have a shared approach to identify priorities for future actions. As within the development of a new Strategic Action Plan for 2010 to 2015, Baltic 21 will be working more intensively with the strategic areas in other words with “four specific topics” not specifically with sectors so it is of utmost importance that sectors can work jointly together. As Table 5 shows, the respondents seem to indicate that as more and more issues are being linked to climate change, the whole theme becomes less practical. It has been identified that concentration on fewer sources of greenhouse gases with higher importance would help to focus on more concrete activities for those areas where more can be achieved. Table 5 24 Baltic 21 actions on climate change can contribute to the implementation of Baltic Sea Region Strategy The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region aims to make the Baltic Sea region an environmentally sustainable place as one of its priority areas. The strategy is designed to cooperate for the mitigation and adaption of climate change and places emphasis on both the strategic and cooperative actions and as well as flagship projects. As the strategy highlights the added value of establishing a common programme for cross-border collaboration to promote the whole Baltic Sea Region as a green region on land and in the sea, seeking synergies with the EU BSR strategy in a coordinated approach would be extremely relevant for potential Baltic 21 actions on climate change. The responses shown in table 6 indicate that there is a potential to strengthen the region’s capacity to become more resilient to climate change in the framework of the EU BSR strategy. Table 6 Concrete ideas for a potential Baltic 21 cooperation project on climate change 25 Following up on the EU BSR strategy’s overall aim which is to address current and future challenges as well as emerging opportunities by enhancing the coordination of joint actions in the Baltic Sea Region, respondents were asked to put forward concrete ideas on climate change issues that would be suitable as a cooperation project for the members of Baltic 21. Cluster of ideas were received highlighting the importance of using Baltic resources (e.g. wood and water) for renewable energy systems, developing sustainable agricultural practices, exchanging best practices, as well as setting up educational programmes for raising awareness at all levels. The following actions are stated by the Baltic 21 members as being suitable for a potential cooperation project: Developing educational projects with teachers and students as target groups as in the example of “CO2 on the way to school programme (http://co2nnect.org/)” Co-operation for the exchange of experiences in national adaptation processes in order to identify priority areas for the development of a joint adaptation strategy for the region Increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewables to mitigate CO 2 emissions Focusing on SMEs and business development on sustainable solutions as well as providing easier regulations for SMEs that are working proactively with cleaner solutions Strengthening the collaboration between actors on climate change issues at local, national and international levels Development of a Baltic mitigation and adaptation strategy Distributed energy systems based on renewable energy Strategies for short (and long) term perspective: Advancing renewable energy systems as the basis for the future BSR energy system, addressing not only technical solutions (from a systemic point of view), but also organisational, economic and democratic implemention approaches etc. Strategies for long term perspective (after 2020): Post carbon energy system with distributed energy Renewable Energy Systems (RES) with supplementary sources Post carbon food producing system = Energy producing agriculture Development and use of energy system approaches (covering all three subsystems: resources, conversion, end-use) in order to optimize both resource use and investments etc. Integration of renewables into the existing system, while developing the system we need in 20-30 years Linking the mitigation, adaptation and innovation perspectives - e.g. by developing climate strategies and facilitate the implementation Development of key components is distributed energy systems, including management systems (hardware, as well as software parts) Sea Region wide climate change 26 Piloting climate villages/communities and municipalities/cities, cleaner production (low / no carbon) companies Test and practice new forms of citizen involvement and engagement Adaptation of agriculture to climate change More energy efficient maritime transport across the Baltic Sea Spatial planning should be acknowledged knowledge bases and promote shared openaccess information infrastructure. rogress towards achieving the long term perspective should be monitored and evaluated on regular bases. The role of VASAB is to act as an observatory of trends progress related territorial development in the BSR. Cooperation with other members of the European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change in the preparation of a Technical Paper on request of the European Environmental Agency on climate change impacts on Europe's coastal zones Cooperation in emission trading scheme allowance auctioning from 2013 and GHG inventory preparation as well as fulfilling the new reporting requirements Sustainable production of forest derived energy according to international standards/schemes/definitions of sustainability: How can standards be universal and express clear minimum requirements concerning biodiversity and local people’s demands and still allow for a reasonable flexibility at the local/national level? Developing implementable policies for increased carbon sequestration that do not cause negative effects on supply/prices for forest bio energy consumers Cooperation through ERA-NET: European Research Area Scheme (http://en.fi.dk/international/european-cooperation/era-net-european-research-area) and BONUS Programme: Baltic Organizations Network for Funding Science EEIG (http://www.bonusportal.org/about_bonus/bonus_call/) The following actions are further inputs provided by the Nordregio Electronic Network members as being suitable for a potential cooperation project in the Baltic Sea Region: Exchange on best-practices of technologies, which might be applied in energy sector, especially in the renovation of houses. Sustainable tourism growth in the context of seasons change in the Southern Europe; North as a desirable location Define and develop models for public transport generation in new developments Community adaptation activities and capacity building Energy production and energy transmission between the countries Flood protection Forestry management, nature protection & reforestation projects 27 Decay of historic buildings, churches and archaeological sites. Erosion and storm damage on cultural landscape Changed infrastructure, how to create new landscapes with wind, biofuel etc. Sustainable marine transport Management of solid waste and the recyclable materials Habitat of the Baltic Sea: fish stock, environmental pollution, hazardous waste Husbandry and pasture management Carbon sequestration Management of manure; biogas Use of charcoal for soil improvement and carbon management Redirecting agricultural policies for effective carbon management Sea based renewable energy such as wave energy, wind power, algae Education for sustainable development at schools EcoTeams for more sustainability at work/ in companies initiated by employees (e.g. less energy use) How cities/regions adapt to climate change, how scientific knowledge can be transferred between the scientific sphere and the political sphere, question of the absorptive capacity of organisations lifestyles at schools and education for sustainable 28 6. Discussion and Recommendations As the above indicates, there is no lack of exciting and imaginative ideas among the Baltic 21 membership on how to respond to the challenge of climate change. Indeed, the combined richness and variety of the ideas itself poses a challenge. What can the membership agree on? In other words: What are the ideas that can be applicable across broad stretches of the Baltic Sea Region, and that can be agreed upon by as large a number as possible of the Baltic 21 membership? Add to that the preference that the ideas should be achievable, and therefore very concrete and “doable,” within the approximately five years of the next Baltic 21 mandate, and the issue of choosing the right proposals becomes more apparent. Once again, even in this matter, the challenge of climate change places a new set of conditions upon “the usual way of doing business.” At the same time, and for the same reason, that is its greatest opportunity. The challenge of climate change provides us with a chance to re-think and refocus our creative energies, with both anticipated and unexpected positive outcomes. In the work of preparing this background paper on climate change, we have therefore proceeded on the basis of a number of criteria in assessing and proposing a small number of recommended proposals for developing into actions. Loosely formulated, but nevertheless helpful, the criteria have provided a good basis for making a selection: the proposal should appear often among the numerous ideas generated and collected from the Baltic 21 membership; it may appear in slightly different forms and with a variety of different details, but should be easily clustered into a thematic grouping that can constitute the core of the proposal; it should have a clear local dimension. In other words, the proposal should be anchored in both needs and implementation at the local level, even if carried out in many different localities in many countries; if the proposal with a local character also matches national goals in many countries, then that is considered advantageous, but not necessarily a top priority; proposals should not duplicate, or too heavily overlap with, other activities already underway or being considered among the membership; a proposal is stronger when it has both mitigation and adaptation characteristics; proposals that have a high likelihood of being achievable in 3-5 years are better; proposals that are suited to action, that is, that are concrete, practical and focused on operability and implementation, are best; and last, but not least, proposals where the added value of cross-Baltic-21 cooperation is obvious and high are also most desirable. Another aspect to keep in mind regarding the proposals is that they have been selected as a result of a combined pragmatic and practical approach. If there are too many recommendations, it will be more difficult to reach agreement and thus less easy to focus on their development. That reality also lies behind the style of this report; we have wanted to be inclusive in recognizing all the good and great ideas “out there,” and leave open the possibility that they may inspire action even if they are not taken up here as part of the final proposals. At the same time, we have wanted to assist the Baltic 21 secretariat and membership in narrowing down the possibilities. 29 It is also fair to say that, with some few exceptions, the theme and challenge of climate change have previously not been among the priorities of the Baltic 21 collaboration. In our opinion, this helps to explain why there is such a fantastic richness and diversity in the ideas that the Baltic 21 members have so generously and enthusiastically offered to this present process. Everyone has their own perspective to work from, based on the particulars of their specific field or sector. Finding the ideas that can reach across more than one particular area, and that can create new collaborations in innovative and mutually beneficial ways, is therefore, from the point of view of Baltic 21 cooperation, in the interest of all. 30 7. Final Recommendations The recommendations below are the final result of the selection that was performed based on the criteria provided above, in the previous section: 1. Promoting climate-smart and “post-carbon” agriculture and forestry supporting the adaptation of these sectors to the impacts of climate change. by There are many possibilities, including the entire cycle from fertilizers, soil management, pest control, spatial arrangements and logistics. Multiple spin-offs can be developed, such as “waste as fuel,” “forests as agriculture,” and consumer standards for “climate footprint labelling” of products. Each includes mitigation and adaptation. Footprint labelling finds its rationale in the history of the Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) standard, which was worldleading and instrumental in establishing a platform for eventual market dominance by northern European companies. 2. Organizing educational activities for schools, at different grade levels, for raising awareness about climate change, by developing and utilizing innovative and interactive learning tools. The education of children and youth (and even adults, where possible!) is an effective ways to change attitudes, in both superficial and profound ways. There is a wealth of both traditional and new knowledge in place throughout the BSR, deriving both from everyday practice, cultural heritage and contemporary science. Finding ways to communicate and spread these valuable forms of knowledge about climate change through the school systems and further into other institutional settings can be excellently served by Baltic Sea Region cooperation. 3. Developing “smart logistics” for mitigating CO2 emissions and other pollution linked to marine transportation. Marine transportation is a definitive arena for BSR cooperation. The common sea and the complex routes crossing the BSR provide many opportunities for climate change added value. Concepts such as, for example, “having the focus on the cargo, rather than the mode of transport,” “precision scheduling,” “green supply chain,” “reduced carbon footprint,” “smart tagging,” and “sensor chip systems interactions” are among the possible areas for cooperation. 4. Promoting the bio-energy potential in the Baltic Sea Region All the countries of the BSR have potential for cooperation in bio-energy production. Ideas such as a sustainability-labeling system for bio-energy and biomass with an emphasis on biodiversity preservation, as well as finding inter-sectoral interfaces with “post-carbon” agriculture and forestry are possible avenues for cooperation. 5. Developing a Baltic Sea Region Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Finding common approaches to local, sub-national and national adaptation strategies can serve as a useful shared platform for developing other collaborations, such as those highlighted above. Incorporating those into a shared strategy creates a harmony that in turn should lead to efficiencies and clearer overviews of potential collaboration. It would be useful for rallying efforts and resources around large-scale challenges that would otherwise be too large for any single actor. 31 8. References Assessing the adaptive capacity of the Finnish environment and society under a changing climate: FINADAPT (Suomen kyky sopeutua ilmastonmuutokseen). 2007. Carter, T. R. (ed.). Suomen ympäristö 1/2007, 76 p. Available at: http://www.environment.fi/download.asp?contentid=64796&lan=fi Barbir,J. et al.2009. An appraisal of measures to cope with climate change in the Baltic Sea, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 82-91 Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report, An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/syr/en/contents.html Climate Change in Regions Available at: http://www.klimzug.de/en/185.php Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area, Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, HELCOM Thematic Assessment in 2007, Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 111 Available at: http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/Proceedings/bsep111.pdf Commission of the European Communities. 2009. European Union Strategy for Baltic Sea Region. COM(2009) 248. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/communic/baltic/com_baltic_en. pdf Commission of the European Communities. 2009. European Union Strategy for Baltic Sea Region: Action Plan. Commission staff working Document. COM(2009) 248. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/communic/baltic/action2009.pdf Commission of the European Communities. 2006. Green paper: Towards a future Maritime Policy for the union: a European vision for the oceans and seas. COM(2006) 275. Available at:http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/pdf/com_2006_0275_en_part2.pdf Commission of the European Communities. 2007. Green paper: Adapting to climate change in Europe – options for EU action. COM(2007) 354. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2007:0354:FIN:EN:PDF Commission of the European Communities. 2009. White paper: Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action. COM(2009) 147. Avaialble at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0147:FIN:EN:PDF Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks Text with EEA relevance. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:288:0027:01:EN:HTML EEA. 2005. Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Europe. EEA Technical report. No 7/2005. 32 Engelman, R. et al. 2009. State of the World, Into a Warming World, A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Towards a Sustainable Society/W.W. Norton & Company, New York, London. 262 p. En sammanhållen klimat- och energipolitik. Regeringens http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/12/27/78/4ce86514.pdf proposition 2008/09:162. Fact sheet: An introduction to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, June 2009. Available at: http://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/unfccc_and_kyoto_protocol.pdf Hilpert, K., Mannke, F., Schmidt-Thomé, P., 2007. Towards Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Baltic Sea Region - Developing Policies and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region, Espoo. Available at: http://www.astra-project.org/sites/download/ASTRA_Policy_Paper_HR.pdf International Scientific Congress on Climate Change, Copenhagen, Denmark, 10-12 March 2009 Available at: http://climatecongress.ku.dk/ Klimatilpasning i Norge. Regjeringens arbeid med tilpasning til klimaendringene. Available at: http://193.88.185.141/Graphics/Klimatilpasning/Andet_materiale/Klimatilpasning_redegjorels e150508.pdf Jacob,D. and Lorenz,P. 2009, Future trends and variability of the hydrological cycle in different IPCC SRES emission scenarios — a case study for the Baltic Sea region, Boreal Environment Research 14: 100–113 Metz, B. et al. (2007), Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/contents.html Moskvitch, Katia. 2009. Climate talks leave Russia cold. Story for BBC NEWS: Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8415166.stm (Published on 29.12.2009) Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2005. National Strategy for Adaptation to climate change. Publication 1a/2005. http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/ymparisto/5kghLfz0d/MMMjulkaisu2005_1a.pdf Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2009. Evaluation of the Implementation of Finland’s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. 4a/2009. http://www.mmm.fi/attachments/mmm/julkaisut/julkaisusarja/2009/5IEsngZYQ/Adaptation_ Strategy_evaluation.pdf Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, 2009. Mapping of Climate Research in Denmark: Analysis and evaluation. Copenhagen. http://en.vtu.dk/publications/2009/mapping-of-climate-research-in-denmark/mapping-ofclimate-research-in-denmark.pdf Norden 2009. Towards a green future. Nordic Climate Solutions. ANP 2009:762. (http://www.norden.org/da/publikationer/publikationer/2009-762) Parry, M.L. et al. (2007), Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 33 Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg2/en/contents.html Perelet, Renat, Pegov, Serguey & Yulkin, Mikhail. 2007. Climate change. Russia Country Paper. Human Development report 2007/2008. Occasional paper. Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. Human Development Report office, UNDP. 2007/12. Scherr, S.J. & S. Sthapit. 2009. “Farming and land use to cool the planet.” Chapter in, 2009: State of the World—Into a Warming World. L. Starke, ed., pp-30-49. New York: Worldwatch Institute/W.W. Norton & Company. Solomon, S. et al. (2007), Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/contents.html Sweden facing climate change – threats and opportunities, 2007. Final report from the Swedish Commission of Climate and vulnerability. Swedish Government Official Reports SOU 2007:60. Available at: http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/09/60/02/56302ee7.pdf Synthesis Report from Climate Change Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions, Copenhagen, 1012 March 2009 Available at: http://climatecongress.ku.dk/pdf/synthesisreport/ The BACC (BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin) Author Team, 2008, Springer, 490p. “The Challenge Ahead: Regulating Climate Change Damage in Future” Valtioneuvoston kanslia, 2009. Valtioneuvoston tulevaisuusselonteko ilmastoja energiapolitiikasta: kohti vähäpäästöistä Suomea. Valtioneuvoston kanslian julkaisusarja 28/2009. http://www.vnk.fi/julkaisukansio/2009/j28-ilmasto-selonteko-j29-klimatframtidsredogoerelse-j30-climate_/pdf/fi.pdf Verheyen, R. (2005), Climate Change Damage and International Law: Prevention, Duties and State Responsibility, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, chapter 6, p. 348 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, FCCC/INFORMAL/84 GE.05-62220 (E) 200705 Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf Web pages Adaptation in Norway - the government's work on adaptation to climate change” (2008) Klimatilpasning i Norge. Regjeringens arbeid med tilpasning til klimaendringene. Available at: http://193.88.185.141/Graphics/Klimatilpasning/Andet_materiale/Klimatilpasning_redegjorels e150508.pdf Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast (RADOST) Available at:http://www.klimzug-radost.de/ BONUS Programme: Baltic Organizations Network for Funding Science EEIG Available at: http://www.bonusportal.org/about_bonus/bonus_call/ Centre for Competence for Climate Impacts (KomPass) Available at: http://www.anpassung.net/ Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Norway 34 Available at: http://www.cicero.uio.no CO2 on the way to school Available at: http://co2nnect.org/ ERA-NET: European Research Area Scheme Available at: http://en.fi.dk/international/european-cooperation/era-net-european-researcharea Finnish Environmental Institute Available at: http://www.environment.fi/ Strategies concerning climate changes in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (KLIMZUG-NORD) Available at: http://www.klimzug.de/en/185.php The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Available at:http://www.ipcc.ch/ Zero Carbon Network Available at: http://www.zero-carbon.dk/ 35