Water flows through the Ebre Delta, nourishing both wildlife and agriculture. This vital region in southern Catalonia is home to one of Spain’s largest rivers, the Ebre, and supports both … Read more
Last week, IMPETUS partners convened at the AKD Tagungshaus in Berlin to review the project’s achievements at the close of its third year and to plan for the final phase. … Read more
Water scarcity is becoming a global challenge, and Catalonia is no exception. With the increasing effects of climate change, not only does the region have to deal with Coastal Erosion … Read more
Are there similar challenges, responsibilities, and methods in transdisciplinarity across countries, scales, contexts and actor types? Our partners Lisa Andrews from KWR Water Research Institute and Ingrida Bremere from Baltijas … Read more
Are you ready to take action against climate change? Climate adaptation is no longer a distant goal—it’s an immediate necessity. As the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, Europe is leading … Read more
As many Europeans head to the beaches this summer, coastal erosion remains a significant threat to shorelines worldwide. The removal of soil and sand by wind, water, and human activity … Read more
How can Spain advance in climate change adaptation? The EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change aims to help European regions better understand the current and future climate risks, develop strategies to prepare … Read more
The Far North Nestled in one of the most remote corners of Europe, the Troms region in northern Norway stands as a testament to nature’s raw and untamed beauty. With … Read more
EU funded project Climate IMPETUS to host online discussion “Navigating Regional Realities Amid Water Scarcity in Europe” with climate adaptation and water resilience experts as part of the EU Green … Read more
The IMPETUS project continues to provide a regional perspective to Climate Change adaptation planning in a systemic implementation approach by analysing challenges and solutions for municipalities and sectors in Zemgale … Read more
*Heat stress occurs when the human body cannot get rid of excess heat and can impact wellbeing through conditions such as heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps and rashes.
"We want to enable municipality decision makers who are working on spatial developments to identify heat stress 'hot spots' and cool areas, analyse the future effects of climate change, and model the effect of different heat stress-reducing measures. The tool must provide them with an easy starting point to integrate heat stress risks in their projects."
Despite the cooling effect of the sea in the region of Zeeland, the growing risk of heat stress has become a concern.
Elderly and other vulnerable people are more impacted by the effects of prolonged heat, which can cause headaches, dizziness, insomnia and other health issues – even death. Excess temperatures also affect general comfort and liveability of cities. Water quality can be reduced, both for drinking and swimming, and infrastructure can be affected. Buildings and concrete surfaces trap heat, potentially leading to damage, and release it during the night, keeping temperatures warm.
During heat waves, it is important that everyone has access to a cool and comfortable place. Appropriate spatial planning can help to decrease and deal with heat stress. Environmental factors like water bodies, trees, and shade have a major impact on stress caused by high temperatures. Therefore, planting trees, removing concrete surfaces, creating green roofs and cool spaces can improve our comfort and health. The IMPETUS Atlantic team is developing a digital tool to support regional decision making for city planning to address these needs.
*Risk takes into account two aspects; the chance that an event will occur and the negative impact of such an event once it occurs. When there is a low chance that an event will occur, but its impacts are huge, the risk is still significant.
“In the Netherlands, an extensive system of dikes protects us against sea and river flooding. We have always put our faith in this defence and focused almost solely on flood prevention. However, pressure on our system will increase with climate change and rising sea levels. To adapt and maintain a safe living environment, we should develop other safety measures, like more robust spatial planning and contingency plans."
Rotterdam city, is located in Rijnmond – ‘mouth of the Rhine’. The Rhine river flows through this densely populated area and characterises the region. Protections such as sea dikes and storm surge barriers have been constructed to protect the region, but flooding still occurs.
People living in the city are accustomed to seeing smaller floods. The changing climate affects the interplay between rainfall, river levels and sea storms, increasing the flooding risk. Water levels could rise by a few metres, even in populated areas, with potentially massive impacts.
Mitigation measures such as storm surge barriers reduce the chance that high water reaches the city, but to minimise the impact of floods when they do occur, adaptation strategies are also needed. A city that can adapt to be safe from floods must be carefully designed. How best to design such an adaptive city?
Critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and evacuation routes, must be accessible at all times. Planning how to best protect them, homes and lives is complex. Flood water behaves in a complex way and flood risks show strong spatial variations. The IMPETUS Atlantic team is developing a digital tool to support regional decision making for adaptive city planning.
*Climate mitigation encompasses measures such as technologies, processes, or practices that reduce carbon emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.
The Rotterdam port petrochemical industry cluster is Europe’s largest. It consumes 70% of the Rijnmond region’s energy. A large part of this energy is wasted (64%, 203 petajoules). More than half of that energy is lost with wastewater. In addition, most energy processes within these industries rely on fossil fuels, which has a significant impact on the climate.
Energy use must be minimised and fossil fuels should be replaced by renewable sources if climate change is to be mitigated. Electrification of processes opens up the possibility to use more renewable energy and can greatly impact decarbonisation. Recovering wasted heat would significantly reduce energy consumption and is a first step towards a more circular industry.
Supporting industries in a transition towards climate-neutrality depends on identifying how best to reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing production or performance. The IMPETUS Atlantic team is creating a digital tool that supports decision making about pathways towards an effective energy transition for EU industry.