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- Adaptation to climate change in cities of Mediterranean EuropePublication . Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Olazabal, Marta; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Fokaides, Paris; Ioannou, Byron I.; Viguie, Vincent; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Geneletti, Davide; Heidrich, Oliver; Tardieu, Léa; Feliu, Efren; Rižnar, Klavdija; Matosović, Marko; Balzan, Mario V.; Flamos, Alexandros; Sel, Natasa Belsak; Reckien, DianaABSTRACT: Cities across Mediterranean Europe face common climatic threats. They are highly vulnerable and very likely to suffer losses and damages due to heat waves, droughts, wildfires, landslides, and extreme coastal events. To this date, however, there is no systematic understanding of how cities in Mediterranean Europe are preparing to adapt to these impacts. To address this question, we analyse local adaptation plans in 73 cities located in 51 regions across 9 European countries along the Mediterranean Sea (France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta). We also investigate upper levels of planning to understand the influence of policy environments. Across the sample, 67 % of regions have adopted a plan, but only 30 % of the cities. The most common climate-related hazards these cities prepare for are extreme temperatures and rainfall, followed by drought and water scarcity, as well as floods and landslides. Without legal obligations, neither regional nor national adaptation policy frameworks seem to influence the development of urban plans. In some cases, cities are ahead of national policy. This paper sheds light on the progress of local adaptation planning in Mediterranean Europe and paves the way for further research in this climate-threatened geographical area.
- Key dimensions of cities' engagement in the transition to climate neutralityPublication . Salvia, Monica; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; D’Alonzo, Valentina; Maestosi, Paola Clerici; Simoes, Sofia; Reckien, DianaABSTRACT: Urbanization and the concentration of energy-consuming economic activities make cities responsible for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The European Cities Mission launched a call in September 2021 to set out on a path towards "100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030". A very large and diverse sample of 344 candidate cities in 35 countries (a subset of the 362 considered eligible to participate in the Cities Mission) was used to conduct this timely research aimed at identifying the main dimensions on which cities are working to achieve a smart and sustainable transition.The research focused on five main dimensions: local climate planning, climate emergency declarations, participation in networks, international projects and competitions. Results show that only 20 (5.8%) cities have no experience in any of them, while there are 18 (5.2%) cities that have in their background activities that fall under all dimensions. Moreover, networking is the most important dimension, among the five analysed, for cities applying for this Mission, involving 309 cities (approximately 90% of the sample). This is followed by local climate planning, involving 275 cities (80%) and city participation in international projects, involving 152 cities (44%). Cities that have declared a climate emergency are less than a fifth of the sample and are very unevenly distributed in only 37.1% of the countries represented (interestingly, all the UK cities in the sample). Similarly, only 49 cities (14.2%) have received international awards.The results provide insights into the main efforts currently being made by cities to engage in the transition to climate neutrality and may be useful to practitioners, scholars and policy-makers at all levels to improve their knowledge of the steps they need to take to support this process and amplify its scope.
- European patterns of local adaptation planning : a regional analysisPublication . Buzási, Attila; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Eckersley, Peter; Geneletti, Davide; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Olazabal, Marta; Wejs, Anja; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Csete, Mária; Torres, Efrén Feliu; Rižnar, Klavdija; Heidrich, Oliver; Grafakos, Stelios; Reckien, DianaABSTRACT: While European regions face a range of different climate hazards, little is known about how these differences affect local climate adaptation planning. We present an analytical framework for evaluating local climate adaptation plans (LCAPs) and apply it to 327 cities in 28 countries across different European regions. To do this, we use statistical methods to identify regional clusters based on overall plan quality, impacts, vulnerable population groups, and sectors addressed by LCAPs. By comparing both geographic and statistical clusters, we found (1) significant spatial heterogeneity across European cities but (2) higher average plan quality scores and more consistent strategies across cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Notably, we found no regional differences regarding (a) the climate impacts and vulnerable communities identified in plans: (b) the most commonly addressed impacts, which were urban temperature and changing precipitation patterns; and (c) the residents that cities identified as most vulnerable, namely older people, women, infants, and the sick. Our study provides a spatial analysis of European LCAPs to uncover regional policy perspectives on local climate adaptation issues. Such approaches can effectively inform broader EU, national and regional strategies that aim to support local adaptation planning in a context of multi-level governance.
- Climate mitigation in the Mediterranean Europe: An assessment of regional and city-level plansPublication . Salvia, Monica; Olazabal, Marta; Fokaides, Paris; Tardieu, Léa; Simoes, Sofia; Geneletti, Davide; de Gregorio Hurtado, Sonia; Viguie, Vincent; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Ioannou, Byron I.; Matosović, Marko; Flamos, Alexandros; Balzan, Mario V.; Feliu, Efren; Rižnar, Klavdija; Belšak Šel, Nataša; Heidrich, Oliver; Reckien, DianaIn Europe, regions in the Mediterranean area share common characteristics in terms of high sensitivity to climate change impacts. Does this translate into specificities regarding climate action that could arise from these Mediterranean characteristics? This paper sheds light on regional and local climate mitigation actions of the Mediterranean Europe, focusing on the plans to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in a representative sample of 51 regions and 73 cities across 9 Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain). The study investigates: (i) the availability of local and regional mitigation plans, (ii) their goals in term of greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets on the short and medium-long term, and (iii) the impact of transnational climate networks on such local and regional climate mitigation planning. Results of this study indicate an uneven and fragmented planning, that shows a Mediterranean West-East divide, and a link with population size. However, overall, both regional and city action seem insufficiently ambitious with regards to meeting the Paris Agreement, at least at city level. While national frameworks are currently weak in influencing regional and local actions, transnational networks seem to be engaging factors for commitment (at city level) and ambitiousness (at regional level). The uneven and fragmented progress revealed by this study, does not align with the characteristics shared by investigated regions and cities in terms of environmental, socio-political, climatic and economic conditions. The results support the call of a common green deal at the Mediterranean level to further address specific Mediterranean challenges and related needs. This will allow to capitalise on available resources, generate local-specific knowledge, build capacities, and support Mediterranean regions and cities in preparing the next generation of more ambitious mitigation plans.
- Improving policy making and strategic planning competencies of public authorities in the energy management of municipal public buildings : the PrioritEE toolbox and its application in five mediterranean areasPublication . Salvia, Monica; Simoes, Sofia; Herrando, M.; Cavar, Marko; Cosmi, Carmelina; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Gouveia, João Pedro; Fueyo, Norberto; Gómez, Antonio; Papadopoulou, Kiki; Taxeri, Elena; Rajić, Karlo; Di Leo, SenatroABSTRACT: Making public buildings smarter and more energy efficient requires tailored solutions to overcome the barriers in implementing suitable technology options in a large variety of building types. The PrioritEE project aimed to strengthen the policy-making and strategic planning competencies of local and regional public authorities in the energy management of Municipal Public Buildings, gaining experience in five local pilots in the Mediterranean area. This paper focuses on the PrioritEE toolbox, describing both the “soft components” and the technical components. These components are widely applicable and replicable in all European cities for supporting local administrations in improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in municipal public buildings. The Energy Technologies and Building Retrofit Database is a technology repository of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies, providing the main reference data on costs, technical performance and lifetime. With the Decision Support Tool users can assess current building stock energy performance, evaluate different efficiency and renewable interventions, and compare, rank, and prioritize technical options through a set of key performance indicators. A sample of the results to date in the five partner regions are also presented, comparing the main individual characteristics in order to derive replicable solutions for local authorities. This project also highlighted how crucial stakeholder involvement is for tool improvement, capacity building and enabling knowledge transfer.
- How the quality of urban adaptation plans in Europe has evolved over time: indication of progress? Judgement by way of an assessment frameworkPublication . Reckien, Diana; Buzási, Attila; Olazabal, Marta; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Eckersley, Peter; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Fokaides, ParisABSTRACT: Since the Paris Agreement, there has been an increasing focus on assessing the progress of climate change adaptation across multiple sectors and regions (Lesnikowski et al., 2017; Tompkins et al., 2018; Berrang-Ford et al., 2019). An important question is what ‘progress’ means and how it could be assessed, at the international, national, and local levels. Hitherto, there is a wealth of information on climate responses at sub-national levels (Hale et al., 2021). Cities and urban areas are increasingly recognized as important actors in climate response (Sanchez Rodriguez et al., 2018). In urban adaptation studies, most assessments focus on tracking and analysing policy outputs, such as approved adaptation plans (Castan Broto et al., 2020; Dodman et al., 2022). Analysing plans cannot tell the whole story in terms of actual progress in the collective reduction (or redistribution) of climate risks. However, it can provide information about the quality and relevance of adaptation processes and actions, and help to assess the likelihood that cities’ advance adaptation goals by reducing risks and increasing resilience equitably (Olazabal et al., 2019; Woodruff & Stults, 2016). Scholars have argued that ‘the best method to ensuring robust adaptation is to ensure rigorous adaptation planning processes’ (Preston et al., 2011).
- State of play of local adaptation planning in the Mediterranean EuropePublication . Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Salvia, Monica; Simoes, Sofia; Geneletti, Davide; Olazabal, Marta; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Heidrich, Oliver; Fokaides, Paris; Ioannou, Byron I.; Tardieu, Léa; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Flamos, Alexandros; Rižnar, Klavdija; Šel, Nataša Belšak; Feliu, Efren; Matosović, Marko; Balzan, Mario V.; Viguie, Vincent; Reckien, DianaABSTRACT: European cities across the Mediterranean region face common climatic threats. Urbanised areas are highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and climate extremes. Cities concentrate population and assets, and losses and damages as a result of climate change impacts such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, landslides, coastal hazards are likely. So far, however, there is no systematic understanding how cities in the Mediterranean Europe are preparing to adapt to these impacts, nor of how they aim to increase their resilience and adaptive capacity. Understanding how cities plan to manage climatic risks will help to identify action gaps, allocate resources and provides better-informed climate policy, at local, regional national and international scale. This research gathered and analysed adaptation planning documents in a representative sample of 73 cities across 9 Mediterranean European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta) in the context of their national policies. The results and this paper shed important light on the progress of adaptation planning, by focusing on identified impacts and proposed adaptation measures.
- Are "Smart Cities” also “Climate Smart”? An Assessment of the EU Mission “Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities”Publication . Salvia, Monica; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Maestosi, Paola Clerici; Simoes, Sofia; Reckien, DianaABSTRACT: Urbanization and the concentration of energy-consuming economic activities make cities responsible for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The EU Mission “Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities”, recently launched a call for starting a pathway towards “100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030”. The list of 336 candidate cities (86% from the EU-27 and 14% from associated or negotiating countries) was published in February 2022. The cities constitute a very large and diverse sample that was used to conduct this timely research to identify the main factors that can drive and support a smart and sustainable transition of urban areas. A critical analysis of the main achievements in five main driving factors (local climate planning, climate emergency declaration, participation in networks, international projects and competitions) provides insights on the main factors driving cities towards climate smart actions. Results show that 76% of the cities have a local climate, in 82% of cases developed under the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which involves about 75% of the candidate cities. URBACT is the most popular funding programme, with 23% of cities involved in at least one funded project. The five selected driving factors seem to capture fairly well the level of "activism" of the sample cities in pursuing smart and climate-related projects and initiatives (15 of the 16 cities that have initiatives and activities in their background that fall into all five sets of the Venn diagram are among the 112 cities selected in this first phase of Mission 100 CNSC). 90% of the sample cities are part of at least one Transnational Municipal Network, which is the most important influencing factor, among the five analysed, for cities applying for this Mission. The original results of this timely study can be useful to decision-makers at all levels, but especially to other cities, to enhance knowledge on steps to be taken to accelerate the transition to carbon neutrality. Moreover, the rich dataset made available by this research represents an important knowledge base not only for future monitoring of the selected cities' progress during the implementation phases, but also for the desired replication effects in other urban areas.
- Quality of urban climate adaptation plans over timePublication . Reckien, Diana; Buzási, Attila; Olazabal, Marta; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Eckersley, Peter; Simoes, Sofia; Salvia, Monica; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Fokaides, Paris; Goonesekera, Sascha M.; Tardieu, Léa; Balzan, Mario V.; de Boer, Cheryl L.; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Feliu, Efren; Flamos, Alexandros; Foley, Aoife; Geneletti, Davide; Grafakos, Stelios; Heidrich, Oliver; Ioannou, Byron I.; Krook-Riekkola, Anna; Matosović, Marko; Orru, Hans; Orru, Kati; Paspaldzhiev, Ivan; Rižnar, Klavdija; Smigaj, Magdalena; Csete, Mária; Viguie, Vincent; Wejs, AnjaABSTRACT: Defining and measuring progress in adaptation are important questions for climate adaptation science, policy, and practice. Here, we assess the progress of urban adaptation planning in 327 European cities between 2005 and 2020 using three 'ADAptation plan Quality Assessment' indices, called ADAQA-1/ 2/ 3, that combine six plan quality principles. Half of the cities have an adaptation plan and its quality significantly increased over time. However, generally, plan quality is still low in many cities. Participation and monitoring and evaluation are particularly weak aspects in urban adaptation policy, together with plan 'consistency'. Consistency connects impacts and vulnerabilities with adaptation goals, planned measures, actions, monitoring and evaluation, and participation processes. Consistency is a key factor in the overall quality of plans. To help evaluate the quality of plans and policies and promote learning, we suggest incorporating our ADAptation plan Quality Assessment indices into the portfolio of adaptation progress assessments and tracking methodologies.
- Will climate mitigation ambitions lead to carbon neutrality? An analysis of the local-level plans of 327 cities in the EUPublication . Salvia, Monica; Reckien, Diana; Pietrapertosa, Filomena; Eckersley, Peter; Spyridaki, Niki-Artemis; Krook-Riekkola, Anna; Olazabal, Marta; Hurtado, Sonia De Gregorio; Simoes, Sofia; Geneletti, Davide; Viguie, Vincent; Fokaides, Paris; Ioannou, Byron I.; Flamos, Alexandros; Csete, Mária; Buzási, Attila; Orru, Hans; Boer, Cheryl de; Foley, Aoife; Rižnar, Klavdija; Matosović, Marko; Balzan, Mario V.; Smigaj, Magdalena; Baštáková, Viera; Streberova, Eva; Šel, Nataša Belšak; Coste, Lana; Tardieu, Léa; Altenburg, Corinna; Lorencová, Eliska Krkoška; Orru, Kati; Wejs, Anja; Feliu, Efren; Church, Jon Marco; Grafakos, Stelios; Vasilie, Sergiu; Paspaldzhiev, Ivan; Heidrich, OliverABSTRACT: Cities across the globe recognise their role in climate mitigation and are acting to reduce carbon emissions. Knowing whether cities set ambitious climate and energy targets is critical for determining their contribution towards the global 1.5 °C target, partly because it helps to identify areas where further action is necessary. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the mitigation targets of 327 European cities, as declared in their local climate plans. The sample encompasses over 25% of the EU population and includes cities of all sizes across all Member States, plus the UK. The study analyses whether the type of plan, city size, membership of climate networks, and its regional location are associated with different levels of mitigation ambition. Results reveal that 78% of the cities have a GHG emissions reduction target. However, with an average target of 47%, European cities are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement: they need to roughly double their ambitions and efforts. Some cities are ambitious, e.g. 25% of our sample (81) aim to reach carbon neutrality, with the earliest target date being 2020.90% of these cities are members of the Climate Alliance and 75% of the Covenant of Mayors. City size is the strongest predictor for carbon neutrality, whilst climate network(s) membership, combining adaptation and mitigation into a single strategy, and local motivation also play a role. The methods, data, results and analysis of this study can serve as a reference and baseline for tracking climate mitigation ambitions across European and global cities.