European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2013 Session #ecca2013 Catalan Strategy for Adapting to Climate Change (2013-2020) by Salvador Samitier, The Catalan Office for Climate Change Hamburg, March 19th

1. Catalan Strategy for
Adapting to Climate
Change
(2013-2020)
18-21 March 2013
Hamburg

2. 7.5 million inhabitants
32,000 square kilometres
GDP per capita is about 20% higher
than the Europe-27 average.
6% of the area of Spain
50.2 Mt CO2 eq
18% of its population
14% of Spain
20% of Spanish GDP
1.1% of EU-27
28% of Spanish exports originate in Catalonia.
Catalonia has also its own culture and its own language, which is spoken by about
10 million people, shared with other regions in Spain (Region of Valencia, Balearic
Islands) and also in Languedoc-Roussillon in the South-Est of France.

3. The objectives of the EU (and UNFCCC) for the non ETS sectors
are binding only on the level of countries
The relationships
between the federal
Objectives Responsibilities Resources
and the regional
government are of
great importance.
At regional level
Countries are built in different organizational levels, and a large part
of the responsibilities on climate policy, specially in non ETS
sectors, are in the hands of regional and local governments.

4. Catalan climate context
 Main Catalan Actions
2005 1st report on Climate Change in Catalonia
2007 Catalan Office for Climate Change
2008 Climate Change Convention
1.000 proposals; 800 participants
2008 PK Mitigation Framework Plan 2008-2012
Governmental voluntarily commitment
Monitoring & Evaluation 2009 / 2010 / 2011
2010 2nd report on Climate Change in Catalonia
2010 Voluntarily Agreement Program (86 Organizations joined)
2012 Energy & Climate Plan (20+20+20 commitment in Catalonia)
2012 Catalan Strategy for adapting to climate change 2013-2020
2013 Climate Change Act (work in progress)

5. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Main Elements
Main goal: to become less vulnerable to climate change impacts strengthening
the adaptive capacity and resilience of citizens and organizations in Catalonia.
Diagnosis of impacts (observed and potential) in 11 natural systems and
socioeconomic sectors
Downscaled scenarios:
Scenarios A2, A1B, B1
10km grid
Projections until 2050, baseline 1971-2000
Temperature, Precipitation and Wind speed
Adaptative actions proposed
Strong stakeholders involvement through a public participation process
to discuss measures proposed and to introduce new ones. Final aim was to
achieve a bottom-up process taking in consideration all stakeholders thoughts
and recommendations.

6. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Impacts
Most vulnerable areas:
Pyrenees (mountain region) and Ebro’s Delta (costal zones)
Main climatic impact:
Temperatures increase of extreme value
and heat waves
Most vulnerable system:
WATER
Public / Private sector :
Private sector awareness and action are generally low.
Public sector is crucial to guarantee policy coherence across
many sectorial policies (mainstreaming) helping to ensure its
effectiveness and efficiency

7. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Open to society

8. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Impacts and measures
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS
63 impacts Potential
Observed
analyzed of
which 32 are 4
24 19
already
observed! 0
4 4
8
Global change
SUMMARY OF MEASURES
We can act!!
30 GENERIC (cross-cutting) proposed
152 SPECIFIC (sectors/systems)
proposed
182 TOTAL

9. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Goals
to become less vulnerable
Strategic to climate change impacts
goal
specific measures for:
natural systems
generating Agriculture and livestock
Knowledge Biodiversity
and transferring Water management
Operationa Information Forest Management
l
socioeconomic sectors
goal Energy sector
Building Fisheries
capacity Health
Industry, Services and Trade
Mobility and transport infrastructure
Tourism
Town Planning and Housing
RDI
Transvers POLICY generic measures cross-
al PLANNIN cutting natural systems and
goal G socioeconomic sectors
OPORTUNITIES

10. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Measures

11. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Measures

12. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Measures

13. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Measures

14. Catalan Strategy for Adapting to CC
 Next Steps
Catalan Strategy for Adapting to Climate Change
Sector based action plans Reporting
• Promoted by the corresponding • Catalan Office for Climate Change.
ministries  Assessment of action plans
• Public and private participation • Intergovernmental Committee on
• High priority measures Climate Change,
• Budget  In a maximum of 3 years, will
present to the Government and
Parliament a progress report on
the Strategy in Catalonia, and
Technical development will determine whether the
ESCACC requires revision
Development of a set of indicators for
effective monitoring the vulnerability of
different sectors and systems over time.