BaltCICA

• Søren Gram
• Bjørn Bedsted

Climate Change: Impacts, Costs and Adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region

The BaltCICA Project is designed to focus on the most imminent problems that climate change is likely to cause in the Baltic Sea Region. The concentration of large parts of the population and many larger cities in coastal areas make the region especially sensitive to climate change. Changes in precipitation and flood patterns as well as rising sea level can affect not only the built environment but also water availability and quality.

Aim of the project
Adaptation to climate change cannot be solved solely locally and in isolated attempts, but calls for cooperation and integrated approaches in the Baltic Sea Region. The BaltCICA project with local and regional partners prepares regions and municipalities to cope with a changing climate.

Approach
The BaltCICA project uses climate change scenarios to discuss and develop adaptation measures with relevant planning authorities and stakeholders. The project assesses costs and benefits of adaptation in case studies and on a pan-Baltic level. Case studies results support multi-level and transnational approaches in the Baltic Sea Region.

Background
The BaltCICA project counts with excellent science-stakeholder cooperation – the involved local partners are developing their climate change adaptation strategies within the framework of the project. The BaltCICA Project is part-financed by the EU Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007 - 2013. The lead partner of the project is the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and the partnership comprises 24 partners including municipalities, regional authorities and research institutes. The project duration is from February 2009 to January 2012.

Within BaltCICA the DBT will work closely together with the Kalundborg municipality in order to develop climate adaptation strategies for a smaller area of the municipality, particularly exposed to climate change. The DBT will lead the process of developing a methodology (the so-called "scenario workshop") for the involvement of local stakeholders in the development of such strategies. The DBT will make a scenario workshop in Kalundborg municipality and give advise to other BaltCICA partners on how to use this method as a planning tool in their case areas. The DBT will also produce a manual for a course aimed at teaching local planners how to use scenario workshops as a planning tool. Furthermore, the DBT will facilitate a "citizen summit" for approximately 500 local citizens in Kalundborg municipality in order to make a prioritisation of alternative adaptation strategies. The DBT will give advise to other BaltCICA partners on how to make such citizen summits, should they wish to do so. Finally, the DBT will be part of a "method group" with other BaltCICA partners specialised in governance and the design of participatory planning processes in order to ensure the successful implementation of climate adaptation measures in the Baltic region.

Staff involved
Project managers: Søren Gram and Bjørn Bedsted
Project assistants: Per Kaspersen and Hannibal Rasmussen
Information officer: Jørgen Madsen