Climate Change Adaptation in Spain: Enhancing Impact through Multi-Actor Collaboration

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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 for and adapt to the changing climate, and implement solutions to build resilience against these challenges. Within this framework, and in an effort to promote coordinated action and innovative solutions, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and REDS-SDSN Spain organized a virtual workshop on July 2. This event, which brought together experts from various sectors, aimed to foster knowledge exchange among partners of major European climate change adaptation projects.

By creating this space for connection and dialogue, SDSN enabled several participants to share their contributions. Among them, Beatriz Mayor introduced the Mission Implementation Platform (MIP4Adapt), the platform for the EU adaptation mission implementation, which supports 150 communities in their climate adaptation and resilience actions. In Spain, 17 local initiatives are already being developed, demonstrating commitment at the community and local levels. Similarly, Julio Lumbreras, representing the citiES 2030 platform, highlighted the importance of integrating both climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially in urban contexts. He emphasized how multi-actor collaboration is essential to avoid “maladaptations,” or inadequate adaptation measures, and mentioned the renaturalization of school environments as a successful initiative requiring the participation of multiple actors (families, teachers, cities, etc.).

Several European projects that are currently being implemented in Spain through specific case studies were presented during the workshop. From Tenerife, ARSINOE, represented by Noelia Cruz Pérez (University of La Laguna), focused on studies in the Canary Islands, addressing groundwater availability and the impact of rising sea levels in the region. IMPETUS, a project presented by Queralt Plana Puig (Eurecat), has a demonstration site in Catalonia that focuses on critical climate issues in the region, including sea level rise, marine storms, water scarcity, and irregular precipitation.

From Galicia, Amaya Soto (CETMAR) explained the TransformAr project’s focus on the resilience of sectors such as mussel and clam farming. In this project, Oscar Bernardez (FEUGA) stressed the importance of recognizing the value of different perspectives. Amplifying every voice is crucial, as flexibility and coexistence between sectors are essential for fostering collaboration and mutual learning.

Finally, the REGILIENCE project is centered on coordination and support for adaptation projects, including sustainable urbanism in regions such as Murcia and Valencia, explained by Guido Schmidt (Fresh Thoughts Consulting).

The representatives of these projects work on case studies and demonstration sites in Spain, showing the local and specific focus of each initiative without limiting their utilization only to those regions. These projects are part of a broader effort to address climate adaptation in different European contexts.

The workshop concluded with a call to continue strengthening collaboration among actors to face the challenges of climate change. Multi-actor collaboration is not only possible but essential for achieving significant impacts. We thank the participants for their contributions and urge them to continue communicating and sharing future projects.

For more information about the projects and upcoming initiatives, visit the following websites:  ARSINOE, IMPETUS, TransformAr, and REGILIENCE, MIP4Adapt, citiES 2030 

 

Original source: https://sdsn.eu/

High temperatures

Record-breaking summertime temperatures have been recorded in the Netherlands in recent years. With global temperatures rising, such extreme weather events will occur more often, and for longer periods. Prolonged high temperatures, with warm nights as well as hot days, can cause heat stress* and related health issues, particularly among city populations.

*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.

Map of Zeeland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands
Heat stress map of Zierikzee in Zeeland

"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."

Martine Rottink, Nelen & Schuurmans

Issue

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.

Flood risk
Energy and waste water

Flood risk

By 2050, sea-level within this region is predicted to rise by 15-40 cm, with more frequent extreme weather and more (severe) storms triggered by climate change. These changes will exacerbate the natural risk of flooding in the IMPETUS ‘Atlantic’ region, because it is surrounded by rivers and the sea, and is below sea level.

*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.

Elevation map of Rotterdam and Zeeland
Flood risk map of Rotterdam and Zeeland
Elevation map of part of the Netherlands

“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."

Martine Rottink, Nelen & Schuurmans

Issue

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. 

Energy and waste water
High temperatures

Energy and waste water

To become climate-neutral by 2050, climate mitigation* efforts are crucial in our strategy for how to deal with climate change. Reducing our energy consumption is a significant mitigation step. In the Netherlands, 15% of energy is consumed in the Rijnmond area around the port of Rotterdam, in large part by a major petrochemical industry cluster.

*Climate mitigation encompasses measures such as technologies, processes, or practices that reduce carbon emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.

Map of Zeeland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands

Issue

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.

High temperatures
Flood risk