Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe ... - MemoFin.fr

Introductionunderstand the territorial and sectoral distributionof vulnerability to climate change impacts.Vulnerability is defined as a function of 1) theexposure to climate change impacts,2) the sensitivity and 3) the adaptive capacity of asystem or territory)'.For a further discussion of the use of the conceptsvulnerability and risk, the reader is referred toSection 1.7.1.4.2 Criteria for indicator selection and changessince the 2008 reportThe selection of indicators for this report wasguided by a number of criteria and documentedin an ETC/CCA technical paper ( 19 ). This technicalpaper used 13 criteria grouped into the followingthemes:1. Policy relevance;2. Causal links to climate change;3. Methodological and data quality, and dataaccessibility;4. Robustness and known uncertainty;5. Acceptance and intelligibility.Some criteria were adapted to address the specificcharacteristics of those parts of indicators addressing'observed change' and 'future projections'. The finalselection of indicators was done in consensus withthe authors, considering all criteria mentioned aboveas well as the opinions of the external AdvisoryGroup.The number and quality of the underlyinginformation on climate change impacts,vulnerability and risks relevant for Europe hasincreased since the publication of the previousclimate change indicator report of 2008. In the 2012report several new indicators have been included,and some indicators have been extended to includeadditional information. A few indicators have beendropped because they do not fulfil the updatedcriteria for EEA indicators (see Section 1.4.2), butinformation on these topics is still presented in thisreport.Table 1.2 shows the main changes in indicatorscovered in the 2012 report compared to the 2008report. Changes in the names of indicators withoutmajor changes in content and movements ofindicators from one section to another are notreported in this table.Table 1.2 Changes in indicators 2008–2012Section New or modified indicator in 2012 Replaced or removed indicator from2008 reportKey climate variables Storms Storms and storm surges in EuropeCryosphere Permafrost Mountain permafrostOceans and marineenvironmentCoastal zonesFreshwater quantity andqualityArctic and Baltic sea iceOcean acidificationOcean heat contentStorm surgesArctic sea iceFreshwater biodiversity and water qualitySoil Soil erosion Soil erosion by waterLand degradation and desertificationAgriculture Water-limited crop productivity Crop yield variabilityAgriculture and forestryHuman health Floods and health Heat and healthExtreme temperatures and healthAir pollution by ozoneAir pollution by ozone and healthWater- and food-borne diseasesEnergyEconomic sectorsHeating degree daysDirect losses from river flood disastersCoastal areas( 19 ) ETC/CCA Technical paper on evaluation of climate change state, impact and vulnerability indicators (draft 2011).36 Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012