Vice-President of CCDR-N

The impact of extreme weather across Europe – findings, actions and constraints at regional level

Paulo Gomes

8 NUT III

86 municipalities

21.300 km2 area (circa 25% of the country)

138 Kms of coastline (16% of Portugal)

568 km of border line

3,7 millions of inhabitants (more than 1/3 of national population)

64% of GDP per capita UE/25 (56% EU/15)

8th poorest region considering EU/15;

More than 44% of the Portuguese exports

1/3 of national companies (mainly micro and SME’s)

CCDR-N – Obligations and responsibilities

Public institution that has the mission to promote the integrated and sustainable development in the

North of Portugal

Some of its policies are related to:

- Planning and regional development; - Environment; - Support to local municipalities and its associations - Nature’s and biodiversity’s protection and sustainable use of natural resources; - Urban requalification; - Management of the operational regional interventions - Cooperation between regions.

SOME FINDINGS

It is not clear what is the tendency for the climate change. However, the available data allows us to conclude:

- The minimum temperatures seem to be rising (based on the analyses of the 80’s and 90’s decades, until 2006);

- Tendency for the disappearance of intermediate seasons;

- Increasing pressure over coastal areas: coastal erosion and urban flash floods;

Some Examples of how the Norte Region is tackling the

problem

1. Air Quality Assessment;

2. Water Issues;

3. Regional Strategic Agendas;

1. Air Quality – assessment and improving

Air quality monitoring stations

Air quality analyzers

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

PMPM – Percentage of stations exceeding the daily limit value 2001 - 2006

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

OO33 – Number of hours surpassing the information threshold 2001 - 2006

PM and O3 are the pollutants that register the higher levels in the North

Region

1. Air Quality – assessing and improving

Plans and Programs to improve air quality

At the present time, CCDR-N is finishing the Execution Program, to be officially approved by a council of ministers on February 2009. The measures defined to improve air quality will be of mandatory implementation.

Some measures to implement…

•Reducing the average age of municipal transports•Improving the public transports net•Reducing domestic combustion (fireplaces) emissions•Reinforcing the supervising of industries•Information and education of population on air pollution

2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues

A. Land and Water Planning: Preparation of River Basin Management Plan (just started)Estuarine Plans and Coastal Zone Plan revisions (next year) Environmental Risk Assessment Tool (next year)

B. Integration of water issues within other policies: Regional developmentEnergyTourismAgriculture Inland navigation

2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues

P G R H

Land and Water Planning

RH1 – Minho e Lima

RH2 – Cávado, Ave e Leça

RH3 - Douro

Land use planning (PROT)

Estuarine Plans + New Coastal Zone Plan

RH3

RH1

RH2

2. Climate Change Impacts and Water Issues – the risk assessment

Sea L

evel

Rais

ing

Off-shore Shore Inland

a first reference at PROT Norte (2008)

A Managing Strategy for Mitigation and Adaptation based on Risk Assessment

ValuingSocial

EconomicalRiver

Basin

Management

Plans

UncertaintyEnvironmental

Risk Perception

Climate ChangesClimate Changes

ContingencyPlans

ProbabilisticAssessment

Ris

kR

isk

Eva

luat

ion

Eva

luat

ionValuingSocial

EconomicalRiver

Basin

Management

Plans

UncertaintyEnvironmental

Risk Perception

Climate ChangesClimate Changes

ContingencyPlans

ProbabilisticAssessment

Ris

kR

isk

Eva

luat

ion

Eva

luat

ionValuingSocial

EconomicalRiver

Basin

Management

Plans

UncertaintyEnvironmental

Risk Perception

Climate ChangesClimate Changes

ContingencyPlans

ProbabilisticAssessment

Ris

kR

isk

Eva

luat

ion

Eva

luat

ion

3. Regional Strategic Agendas

InnovationInternationalizationSeaCreative IndustriesFashionHealthTourismEmploymentTransports Energy Digital Region Business Cities and UrbanismRural Development Environment

- 14 Regional Strategic Agendas: the region framework until 2015;

- Centred in the main principles of sustainable development, principle of precaution and principle of prevention.

- In each Agenda, the goal is to achieve In each, the goal is to achieve a more rational and sustainable use of resources, through the informed and stimulated intervention of all citizens and a decision making process based on a prospective and anticipatory action.

How can these agendas be used as tools to tackle the possible increasing impacts of the

climate changes in our territory?

Some examples from the Energy Agenda: - promoting the rational management and governance of the energy demand; - promoting energy efficiency through initiatives and experiments at local and regional level; - valorisation of neighbourhood and proximity renewable energies; - promotion of an innovative environment in the energy use and management, by improving and sponsoring the quality of R&D projects in this area.

Conclusions

Although there’s a considerable degree of uncertainty about what to expect in the short term considering climate changes and their impact on our territories, it is clear that “something important is happening”.

-Developing continuous monitoring;

- Introducing environmental risk assessment tools in the process of decision making;

- Holistic approach: integrating climate change agenda issues within other policies, namely regional development, energy, tourism, agriculture and inland navigation policies;

- Integrating populations and stakeholders in the process;

- Implementing a strategic rationale: the regional agendas for the energy, the sea, the rural development and the environment;

How to deal with it?

Thank you for your attention

www.ccdr-n.pt

+351 22 608 63 00

Paulo GomesCCDR-N

paulo.gomes@ccdr-n.pt