Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

3. Understanding climate change and biodiversityThis section provides information on the current status, trends, drivers and policy responsesregarding climate change and biodiversity in the EU. The purpose is to highlight the importance andcomplexity of climate change and biodiversity to those involved in SEAs: competent authorities;planners or programme developers; SEA practitioners; regulators; or other stakeholders. It shouldhelp you at the scoping stage of the SEA process.Clearly, an SEA will also need to assess, depending on its scale, the national, regional and localcontext applicable to the PP concerned. It is not practical to include this level of information in thisguidance, therefore the international/EU context provided here is just a starting point.3.1 Introduction to climate changeResponses to climate change can be divided into two aspects:Mitigation — the term used to describe the process of reducing GHG emissions thatcontribute to climate change. It includes strategies to reduce GHG emissions andenhance GHG sinks.Adaptation — is a process, or set of initiatives and measures, to reduce thevulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate changeeffects. Adaptation can also be thought of as learning how to live with theconsequences of climate change. The first consequences of climate change canalready be seen in Europe and worldwide, and these impacts are predicted tointensify in the coming decades. Temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting,glaciers are melting, sea levels are getting higher and extreme weather resulting inhazards such as floods and droughts is becoming more common.Climate change adaptation and mitigation are closely interrelated. While they are often consideredas separate topics or policy fields, it is critical to consider the links between them. Certain adaptationresponses have clear mitigation benefits, but some actions can result in ‘maladaptation’ — i.e.instead of reducing vulnerability to climate change, they actually increase it or reduce the adaptivecapacity. Some actions can also distribute the benefits of adaptation unequally across society (forexample, the prevention of climate-change-induced diseases only for affluent people). 8One of the roles of SEAs is to seek to manage these conflicts and potential synergies. To do so, makea comprehensive assessment of the links between climate change mitigation, adaptation and otherenvironmental issues and policy concerns, to avoid the risk of:• negative synergies and inconsistent policies;• missed opportunities for exploring and promoting positive synergies; and• sub-optimal allocation of resources and policy responses.Some PPs will have as their objectives the promotion of climate change-responsive projects,including mitigation (such as renewable energy licensing regimes, or plans for carbon capture and8 Taken from Guiding principles for adaptation to climate change in Europe ETC/ACC Technical Paper 2010/6.<strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA 21