Introduction:

In April 2013, European Commission adopted first EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change which ensures that adaptation considerations are addressed in all relevant EU policies.The strategy supports Adaptation action by promoting greater coordination and information-sharing between Member States and prepares frame for actions on transnational, national and local levels. All Member States are expected to respond for the call of the action from the European Union. The Environmental Ministry of Czech Republic is currently preparing Adaptation Strategy on climate change. Strategy will include estimates of negative impacts, adaptation measures, legal and economic analyses. This document should be presented to the government in 2015.

Through our project activities we would like to involve our local stakeholders in the ongoing adaptation debate and motivate them to put climate change adaptation to their daily agenda.
 We follow the initiative of The European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT) which is a useful tool for sharing knowledge and database of adaptation case studies, national and transnational adaptation strategies, potential adaptation options, and other suitable tools.

Short description of the project:

The project is called "Adaptation of Residential Areas to Climate Changes – Practical Solutions and Experience Sharing", and is supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (EHP-CZ02-OV-1-033-2015)

The main aim of the project is to help settlements (cities and towns) in Czech Republic with collecting and exchanging knowledge and adaptation models. Our aim is to provide cities with the practical tools, so called “road maps to adaptation” – specific proposals for adaptation strategies.

Actions taken to fulfill this objective include mainly analysis of the impact of climate change on a local level and preparing and adjusting relevant case-studies in particular towns and cities. Case studies will be developed for every partner city and town and will include description of specific procedures in the process of preparation of Adaptation Strategies. Different appropriate sectors or types of threats will be taken in consideration during arrangement of the documents. Case studies will also contain conclusions and specific recommendations.

The project will pay a large attention on the promotion of adaptation tools among local governments.

Within the project will be performed adaptation studies on municipal buildings and what follows measurement of savings on the local budget. The project also involves the creation of “Knowledge Base” and includes an internet application and social networks as a main tool of knowledge exchange, resource of good practices, adaptation methodologies and other outcomes of different adaptation activities.

The series of workshops and seminars for public authorities are planned to be organized as a part of our project activities. The workshops focus on strategic and political measures of climate change adaptation. The main aim of the workshops is to gather local stakeholders representing crucial sectors for climate adaptation and to facilitate discussion and cooperation among them. The practical part of the workshops includes the formation of scenarios and strategies.

The project will be supplemented with promotional activities (informative leaflets and fact sheets, publications, public events in our partner's towns, networking activities and participation at the meetings on European level). The project pays special attention to the environmental education; therefore a series of educational programs will be performed at all school levels. The highlight of the project will be a public conference that will feature the results of our progress.

Partners of the project:

Towns: Hradec Králové, Žďár nad Sázavou, Dobruška
Civitas per Populi, o. p. s.
Agentura Koniklec, o. p. s.
Ekocentrum Koniklec, o. p. s.
TIMUR o. p. s.
PORSENNA o. p. s.
Centrum pro výzkum globální změny – CzechGlobe, v. v. i.

The total estimated amount of project expenses is 9.850.180 CZK. 8.865.162 CZK (90 %) come from the grant, co-financing from other sources is 985.018 CZK (10 %). The progress of the project reached ca 25 %  on the date of the monitoring report submission and ca 30 % at the begining of october 2015.

The project runs from 15th January 2015 to April 2016 with the support of EEA grants.

Activity I – Knowledge Base

In the Czech Republic, there is a lack of information and knowledge regarding the adaptation to climate change. Most of the Czech municipalities do not have a sufficient basis of knowledge to begin with their own systematic adaptation to climate change. More so, they do not have anywhere to go for the information (and practical examples of adaptation to climate change) needed.

Therefore, the main goal of this activity is to improve on the current situation and to increase the availability of local, practical information on climate change adaptation. A web database with practical documents (examples of particular examples of local adaptation, local strategies, action plans, “road maps”, topical documents and scientific articles, etc.) will be founded. The database will be publicly accessible for browsing. Registered users will be allowed (and encouraged) to upload and share their own materials there.

Activity II – Scientific Content

The main objective of this activity is to create and gather supportive materials necessary for the realization of the project (GIS maps, an evaluation of climate change menaces and risks, a matrix of possible adaptation measures, suggestions of appropriate adaptation measures for participating municipalities, formulation of adaptation scenarios). Secondly, materials enabling other municipalities, which did not participate in the actual project, will be developed (such as a methodical framework and a practical methodical manual for working out a participatory adaptation scenarios).

Activity III – Case studies

Three Czech municipalities (Hradec Králové, Žďár n. Sázavou, Dobruška) joined the project. For each of these municipalities, a case study summing up the current state and suggesting possible solutions with regard to the menaces (and possible opportunities) of the climate change will be elaborated. The purpose of this activity is to verify and use the knowledge gained from the Activity II in a practical field. Conversely, the results of the case studies will serve as a background for designing the methodical framework and methodical manual in the Activity II.

Activity IV – Seminars and Conference

In the course of the project, three seminars for stakeholders from each one of the participating municipalities will be organized. The purpose of the seminars will be to discuss the ongoing works on the case studies and possibly to enrich them with the irreplaceable experience of the local people involved. Secondly, the aim of this activity is also to introduce the finished case studies in detail and the web knowledge database to the participants.

The final conference, which will be held after the case studies will be completed, will then introduce the results of the cooperation with the cities to the public and the media.

Activity V – Publicity and Propagation of the Project Outputs

The lack of information mentioned in the Activity I. falls in here as well. In this regard, there is no platform, enabling sharing information and experience with climate change adaptation (such as Climate-ADAPT on the European scale). Therefore it is crucial to make the project outputs accessible for other Czech municipalities than only those who participated in the project directly. Propagation of the topic in the media and public is also an important task in this respect.

Activity VI – Education

Education is an important tool for environmental politics. However, climate change is often perceived by teachers as a too complicated, ambiguous or even controversial topic. This activity aims help teachers include the climate change subject into the tuition, making it accessible for pupils of primary and secondary schools.

In this regard a special educational programme for primary and secondary educational level will be developed and implemented to teaching at participating schools which joined the project. Simultaneously, additional supportive documents, informational and instructive brochures helping the teachers approach the topic will be elaborated.