Climate change impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016

Policy context
In the period 2013–2014, the Alpine Convention
established a task force that developed the following
guidelines for climate adaptation at the local level in the
Alps:
• 'Guidelines on Local Adaptation to Climate Change
for Water Management and Natural Hazards in the
Alps (Alpine Convention, 2014b)' ( 33 );
• 'Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation at
the Local Level in the Alps' (Alpine Convention,
2014a) ( 34 ).
In the period 2015–2016, relevant actions conducted
by the Alpine Convention include supporting the
establishment of a virtual alpine observatory. The
Alpine Convention also endeavours to share and learn
from reference documents, studies and good practice
examples. The 'We are Alps' tour 2015 was dedicated
to disseminating examples of innovative experiences
related to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate
change.
The Alpine Convention and the EEA are cooperating to
improve the exchange of information and data and the
interoperability of their information systems.
EU Strategy for the Alpine Region
The European Commission adopted, at the end of July
2015, a Communication and an Action Plan on the
EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) ( 35 ). This
strategy also addresses environmental objectives,
such as the improvement of risk management and
better management of climate change, including the
prevention of major natural disasters.
International projects — often funded by European
instruments such as the European Transnational
Cooperation Alpine Space Programme and more
recently the LIFE Programme — also provide a major
contribution to the exchange of knowledge and
experiences in the Alps.
The C3-Alps ( 36 ) project, co-funded by the Alpine
Space Programme, has capitalised on the available
knowledge about adaptation for the Alpine region.
Its achievements include sustainable pilot adaptation
activities in 12 regions across the Alps and a 'Climate
Adaptation Platform for the Alps' ( 37 ). Initiated by C3‐Alps,
a permanent network of the national adaptation
policymakers from all Alpine countries was established
in 2012. Acting as an informal transnational cooperation
structure, the network provides a platform for
knowledge exchange and learning between countries.
2.5.5 Mountain regions: the Carpathians
Carpathian Convention
The Carpathian Convention ( 38 ) provides a framework
for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination,
a platform for joint strategies for sustainable
development, and a forum for dialogue between all
stakeholders involved. It was signed in May 2003 by
seven countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland,
Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine).
The Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, located
in the Vienna office of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), supports the work of the
Convention and assists in project development and
implementation. Following the initiative by the European
Parliament, studies on climate change and adaptation
measures in the Carpathian region were performed. The
outcomes of the three projects — CARPIVIA, CarpathCC
and CARPATCLIM — raise awareness about the extent
and impacts of climate change in various sectors
in the region: forests, agriculture, water resources,
grasslands, wetlands and tourism. The key findings of
the projects are integrated into Climate-ADAPT. The
Convention established a Working Group on Climate
Change Adaptation, which will support policy proposals
in line with the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate
Change, and ensure proper follow-up to previous
projects. Countries agreed to further contribute to
Climate-ADAPT, providing data and information, under
the coordination of the Secretariat. The aim is to create
a specific section on the Carpathian area under the
'transnational regions' web page of Climate-ADAPT.
The 'Strategic Agenda on Adaptation to Climate
Change in the Carpathian Region' was adopted at the
Fourth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Carpathian Convention (COP4) in 2014. The agenda
( 33 ) http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups/WGWater/Documents/guidelines CC.pdf.
( 34 ) http://www.alpconv.org/en/ClimatePortal/Documents/GuidelinesCC.pdf.
( 35 ) http://www.alpine-region.eu.
( 36 ) http://www.c3alps.eu.
( 37 ) http://www.c3alps.eu/kip.
( 38 ) http://www.carpathianconvention.org.
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