Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...
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3. Underst<strong>and</strong>ing climate change <strong>and</strong> biodiversityThis secti<strong>on</strong> provides informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> the current status, trends, drivers <strong>and</strong> policy resp<strong>on</strong>sesregarding climate change <strong>and</strong> biodiversity in the EU. The purpose is to highlight the importance <strong>and</strong>complexity of climate change <strong>and</strong> biodiversity to those involved in SEAs: competent authorities;planners or programme developers; SEA practiti<strong>on</strong>ers; regulators; or other stakeholders. It shouldhelp you at the scoping stage of the SEA process.Clearly, an SEA will also need to assess, depending <strong>on</strong> its scale, the nati<strong>on</strong>al, regi<strong>on</strong>al <strong>and</strong> localc<strong>on</strong>text applicable to the PP c<strong>on</strong>cerned. It is not practical to include this level of informati<strong>on</strong> in thisguidance, therefore the internati<strong>on</strong>al/EU c<strong>on</strong>text provided here is just a starting point.3.1 Introducti<strong>on</strong> to climate changeResp<strong>on</strong>ses to climate change can be divided <strong>into</strong> two aspects:Mitigati<strong>on</strong> — the term used to describe the process of reducing GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s thatc<strong>on</strong>tribute to climate change. It includes strategies to reduce GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong>enhance GHG sinks.Adaptati<strong>on</strong> — is a process, or set of initiatives <strong>and</strong> measures, to reduce thevulnerability of natural <strong>and</strong> human systems against actual or expected climate changeeffects. Adaptati<strong>on</strong> can also be thought of as learning how to live with thec<strong>on</strong>sequences of climate change. The first c<strong>on</strong>sequences of climate change canalready be seen in Europe <strong>and</strong> worldwide, <strong>and</strong> these impacts are predicted tointensify in the coming decades. Temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting,glaciers are melting, sea levels are getting higher <strong>and</strong> extreme weather resulting inhazards such as floods <strong>and</strong> droughts is becoming more comm<strong>on</strong>.<strong>Climate</strong> change adaptati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> mitigati<strong>on</strong> are closely interrelated. While they are often c<strong>on</strong>sideredas separate topics or policy fields, it is critical to c<strong>on</strong>sider the links between them. Certain adaptati<strong>on</strong>resp<strong>on</strong>ses have clear mitigati<strong>on</strong> benefits, but some acti<strong>on</strong>s can result in ‘maladaptati<strong>on</strong>’ — i.e.instead of reducing vulnerability to climate change, they actually increase it or reduce the adaptivecapacity. Some acti<strong>on</strong>s can also distribute the benefits of adaptati<strong>on</strong> unequally across society (forexample, the preventi<strong>on</strong> of climate-change-induced diseases <strong>on</strong>ly for affluent people). 8One of the roles of SEAs is to seek to manage these c<strong>on</strong>flicts <strong>and</strong> potential synergies. To do so, makea comprehensive assessment of the links between climate change mitigati<strong>on</strong>, adaptati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> otherenvir<strong>on</strong>mental issues <strong>and</strong> policy c<strong>on</strong>cerns, to avoid the risk of:• negative synergies <strong>and</strong> inc<strong>on</strong>sistent policies;• missed opportunities for exploring <strong>and</strong> promoting positive synergies; <strong>and</strong>• sub-optimal allocati<strong>on</strong> of resources <strong>and</strong> policy resp<strong>on</strong>ses.Some PPs will have as their objectives the promoti<strong>on</strong> of climate change-resp<strong>on</strong>sive projects,including mitigati<strong>on</strong> (such as renewable energy licensing regimes, or plans for carb<strong>on</strong> capture <strong>and</strong>8 Taken from Guiding principles for adaptati<strong>on</strong> to climate change in Europe ETC/ACC Technical Paper 2010/6.<str<strong>on</strong>g>Guidance</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> integrating climate change <strong>and</strong> biodiversity <strong>into</strong> SEA 21