Achieving urban climate adaptation
            in Europe and Central Asia

Carmin, JoAnn; Zhang, Yan

Achieving urban climate adaptation in Europe and Central Asia

Autores

Descripción

Many cities across Europe and Central Asia are experiencing the impacts of climate change, but most have not integrated climate adaptation into their agendas. This paper examines the threats faced and measures that can be taken by cities in the region to protect buildings, heritage sites, municipal functions, and vulnerable urban populations. In general, local governments must be proactive in ensuring that existing buildings are climate ready, paying particular attention to emerging technologies for retrofitting the prefabricated, panel style buildings that dominate the landscape while assessing the viability of homes situated in flood plains, coastal areas, and steep slopes. They also must ensure that new developments and buildings are designed in ways that account for climatic fluctuations. Although the resilience of all populations needs to be considered, historical patterns of discrimination require that special provisions are made for the poor and for ethnic minorities such as the Roma because these groups will be most at risk, but are least likely to have access to adequate resources. Urban climate adaptation requires national-level support and local commitment. However, centralized planning and expert-led decision-making under the former regimes may affect the ability of cities to pursue programmatic approaches to adaptation. Therefore, while national governments need to make adaptation a policy priority and ensure that municipalities have adequate resources, local government agencies and departments must be transparent in their actions and introduce participatory and community-based measures that demonstrate respect for diverse stakeholders and perspectives.

Palabras clave

ABRUPT CLIMATE, ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE, ABSORPTION, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT, AGRICULTURE, AIR, AIR CONDITIONERS, AIR CONDITIONING, AIR QUALITY, AQUIFERS, BEACH, BIOMASS, BOILERS, BROWNFIELDS, BUFFER ZONES, CARBON, CARBON FINANCE, CASE STUDIES, CHEMICALS, CHLORINE, CLEAN AIR, CLEAN ENERGY, CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, CLIMATE, CLIMATE ADAPTATION, CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTIVITIES, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION, CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH, CLIMATE DATA, CLIMATE FACTORS, CLIMATE IMPACTS, CLIMATE INVESTMENT, CLIMATE MITIGATION, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, CLIMATE RISK, CLIMATE SCENARIOS, CLIMATE STRATEGY, CLIMATE VARIABILITY, CLIMATE VULNERABILITY, CLIMATES, CLIMATIC CHANGE, CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, CLIMATIC FLUCTUATIONS, CLIMATIC REGIONS, COAL, COASTAL AREAS, COASTAL EROSION, COASTAL RESEARCH, COASTAL ZONES, COASTS, COLORS, CONDITIONERS, CONSEQUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, CONSERVATION, CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, CONTAMINANTS, COPE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, CULTURAL HERITAGE, CYANIDE, DAMAGES, DAMS, DECISION MAKING, DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS, DESERTIFICATION, DIOXINS, DISTRICT HEATING, DRAINAGE, DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, DRINKING WATER, DROUGHT, DROUGHT CONDITIONS, ECOLOGY, ECONOMIC FUNCTIONS, ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, ECONOMICS, ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, ECOSYSTEM, ECOSYSTEMS, ELECTRICITY, EMISSIONS REDUCTION, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ENERGY DEMAND, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS, ENERGY SAVINGS, ENERGY USE, ENVIRONMENTAL, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTS, EXTREME TEMPERATURES, EXTREME WEATHER, EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FINANCIAL LOSSES, FINANCIAL NEEDS, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FISH, FLATS, FLOOD PLAINS, FLOOD WATERS, FLOODING, FLOODING STRESS, FLOODPLAIN MAPS, FLOODPLAINS, FLOODS, FOSSIL FUELS, FREE MARKET, GHG, GHGS, GLOBAL CLIMATE, GLOBAL CLIMATE SCIENCE, GOLD, GREENHOUSE, GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, GROUNDWATER, HABITATS, HARVESTING RAINWATER, HEALTH PROBLEMS, HEATING SYSTEMS, HOUSING, HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, HUMIDITY, HYDROLOGY, IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, IMPERVIOUS SURFACES, INCOME, INDUSTRIAL SITES, INSURANCE, INTENSITY OF STORMS, IPCC, JOBS, LAKES, LAND MANAGEMENT, LAND USE, LOCAL CLIMATE, MANAGEMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, MARKET ECONOMIES, MINING OPERATIONS, MITIGATION, MOISTURE CONTENT, NATIONAL MONUMENTS, NATURAL RESOURCES, PARKS, PLANNING PROCESS, PLOTS, POLICY ANALYSIS, POLLUTANTS, POLLUTION, PONDS, PP, PRECIPITATION, PRESERVATION, PUBLIC HEARINGS, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS, RADIATION, RAINFALL, RAINWATER, REAL ESTATE, RECYCLING, REDUCED GROUNDWATER, REDUCING EMISSIONS, RESEARCH AGENDA, RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, RETROFITTING, RIVER, RUNOFF, SALTWATER INTRUSION, SCIENTISTS, SEA LEVEL RISE, SEA-LEVEL, SEA-LEVEL RISE, SEASONAL CHANGES, SEWAGE TREATMENT, SHORELINES, SHORES, SOILS, STORMS, STORMWATER, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, STRATEGIES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, STREAMS, SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TAX REDUCTION, TEMPERATURE, TEMPERATURE CHANGES, TEMPERATURES, UNEP, URBAN CLIMATE CHANGE, VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER RETENTION, WATER RETENTION PONDS, WATER TABLE, WATERSHED, WATERWAYS, WAVES, WEATHER CONDITIONS, WEATHER PATTERNS, WETLANDS, WINTER STORMS