Recommendations for climate change, environmental protection and natural hazards

The Alps are more strongly affected by climate change than any other region in Europe, and recent warming has been roughly three times the global average (Climate Change in … 2007). In the Alpine area, the availability of space suitable for permanent settlement and economic activities is limited, and the land demand for other types of uses is increasing. The effects of climate change exacerbate the problem, extending the number and relevance of hazard zones as well as the need for land for protection measures in connected areas. As a consequence, land is becoming increasingly scarce as a resource for settlements in almost all the Alpine regions.
Climate change adaptation is therefore becoming relevant for Alpine spatial planning and development. A European Commission white paper explicitly stresses the necessity of a long-term and strategic approach to spatial planning in order to reduce vulnerability to the impact of climate change (Climate Adaptation Policies … 2012). Spatial planning can thus be considered a “consistent, effective and influential means to prevent and respond to the consequences of climate change on the alpine territory” (Transnational Strategy … 2011). According to the green paper “Adapting to Climate Change in Europe – Options for EU Action” from the European Commission, “spatial planning is a cross-sectorial issue, which makes it a suitable tool to define cost-effective adaptation measures.” This means that policies and strategies for adapting to climate change should become a prioritized field of action of spatial planning.
Adaptation to climate change is strictly connected with environmental protection and natural hazard management, and this creates a general situation of high complexity with a high level of uncertainty. An unsuitable or inadequate adaptation strategy can worsen the situation, and for this reason spatial planning must become the convergence point of various contributions coming from specialized approaches.

Climate change

• Integrate climate change adaptation into planning practices
  

In order to address the impacts of climate change, an adaptation strategy has to be developed and embedded in spatial planning at the regional, national, and local levels. Despite several examples and attempts, at the Alpine Space Programme level it is still impossible to find a solid methodology that can be applied to different territorial situations. Even the economy is a sensitive criterion that should be taken into account because the availability of financial resources is a critical factor in supporting activity countering the negative effects of climate change.

• Foster cooperation among administration at the same level
  

Cooperation is a strategic element, especially for collecting and interpreting local climate change data. Territorial monitoring and analysing the information and data directly collected in the field have become important tasks for many administrations. These fresh data are a valuable element for improving the quality of the scenarios for how climate change will evolve. Cooperation in the Alpine area should be fostered because is useful to set up standards and shared methodologies that make information transferable from one context to another.

• Build and use a common knowledge base through interdisciplinary and transnational collaboration
  

Taking the example of the PermaNET project, assembling all experiences and measurements into a single knowledge base has created a sophisticated decision base and has led to the development of a consistent map of permafrost distribution in the Alps. This example could be extended to many other similar situations. Creating common knowledge bases is essential for giving local civil servants a more solid base for their daily work in managing Alpine territories.

• Start acting
  

Institutions and public bodies bear great responsibility in decisions concerning adaptation to climate changes. Over the last ten years, the appeals for more effective political action against the negative effects of climate change have been so clear and sometimes so easy to apply that the first recommendation is to start acting.