storage); adaptati<strong>on</strong> (such as flood management plans); or resource-management such as water (forwhich energy use, carb<strong>on</strong> reducti<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> adaptati<strong>on</strong> are important, for example, al<strong>on</strong>g with thecomplex interacti<strong>on</strong>s between climate change <strong>and</strong> its impact <strong>on</strong> supply/dem<strong>and</strong> for water <strong>and</strong>ecosystem functi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> biodiversity). For such PPs, <strong>and</strong> for PPs with more generic objectives (suchas urban development plans), it is important that their SEAs assess these links.3.1.1 <strong>Climate</strong> change mitigati<strong>on</strong> — overview of current status, trends <strong>and</strong> policyresp<strong>on</strong>sesCurrent status, trends <strong>and</strong> key driversMany studies have been carried out <strong>into</strong> how to assess the current status, trends <strong>and</strong> key drivers forGHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> they provide a useful background. See Mitigating climate change — SOER 2010thematic assessment (EEA, 2010) 9 <strong>and</strong> other documents listed in the Annex 1 to this guidance for anoverview.Policy resp<strong>on</strong>seIn March 2007, 10 the EU Heads of State <strong>and</strong> Government endorsed an integrated approach toclimate <strong>and</strong> energy policy that aims to combat climate change <strong>and</strong> increase the EU’s energy securitywhile strengthening its competitiveness. They set a series of dem<strong>and</strong>ing climate <strong>and</strong> energy targetsto be met by 2020, known as the ‘20-20-20’ targets (see‘20-20-20’ climate <strong>and</strong> energybox left).targetsWith its Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carb<strong>on</strong>• A reducti<strong>on</strong> in EU GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s of ec<strong>on</strong>omy in 2050, the European Commissi<strong>on</strong> has lookedat least 20 % below 1990 levels;bey<strong>on</strong>d these short-term objectives <strong>and</strong> set out a costeffectivepathway for reducing domestic emissi<strong>on</strong>s by 80• 20 % of EU energy c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong> tocome from renewable resources;to 95 % by mid-century. The Roadmap identifies• 20 % reducti<strong>on</strong> in primary energy usecompared with projected levels, to milest<strong>on</strong>es <strong>and</strong> provides guidance <strong>on</strong> how to move to abe achieved by improving energyclimate-friendly, low carb<strong>on</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omy in the most efficientefficiency.way.Table 3 below summarises the key aspects of internati<strong>on</strong>al <strong>and</strong> EU climate change mitigati<strong>on</strong> policy.Table 3: Key aspects of climate change mitigati<strong>on</strong> policyPolicy resp<strong>on</strong>seObjectives <strong>and</strong> targetsUnited Nati<strong>on</strong> FrameworkC<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Climate</strong><strong>Change</strong> (UNFCCC)• UNFCCC seeks to reduce internati<strong>on</strong>al GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s by setting nati<strong>on</strong>al level targetsbased <strong>on</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>cept of ‘comm<strong>on</strong> but differentiated resp<strong>on</strong>sibility’. This means thatnati<strong>on</strong>s which have emitted the majority of GHGs up to now should seek to reduce GHGsat a greater rate.UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol • Under the UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol, 15 Member States of the EU (‘EU-15’) decided <strong>on</strong> acollective target of reducing GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s by 8 % relative to 1990 levels between 2008<strong>and</strong> 2012 (Member State emissi<strong>on</strong> targets are differentiated under an EU burden-sharingdecisi<strong>on</strong>). The other Member States have similar targets, with the excepti<strong>on</strong> of Cyprus<strong>and</strong> Malta.• The EU-15 are well <strong>on</strong> track to meeting their target. Preliminary EEA estimates indicatethat they reduced their emissi<strong>on</strong>s by 14.1 % below base-year levels by 2011. 119 http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/mitigating-climate-change.10 European Council, 8/9 March 2007.11 Approximated EU GHG inventory, http://www.eea.europa.eu/publicati<strong>on</strong>s/approximated-eu-ghg-inventory-201122 <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
EU <strong>Climate</strong> <strong>and</strong> EnergyPackageRoadmap for moving to alow-carb<strong>on</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omy in2050• To meet the EU’s obligati<strong>on</strong> under internati<strong>on</strong>al law <strong>and</strong> in line with European ambiti<strong>on</strong>.Member States are required to:• Collectively reduce their combined GHG emissi<strong>on</strong>s in 2020 by at least 20 % compared to1990 levels. Note: the EU has offered to take <strong>on</strong> a 30 % target for 2020 if other majoremitters c<strong>on</strong>tribute adequately to global mitigati<strong>on</strong> efforts.• Produce 20 % of their combined energy from renewable sources.• Improve energy efficiency to reduce primary energy use by 20 % compared with projectedlevels.• The collective EU target of reducing emissi<strong>on</strong>s by 20 % by 2020 is to be achieved by:o The EU Emissi<strong>on</strong>s Trading System, the backb<strong>on</strong>e of the EU mitigati<strong>on</strong> effort, whichsets a cap <strong>on</strong> emissi<strong>on</strong>s from the most polluting sectors, including over 11000factories, power plants <strong>and</strong> other installati<strong>on</strong>s, including airlines. By 2020, the capshould result in a 21 % reducti<strong>on</strong> relative to 2005 levels. The EU ETS covers about40 % of all EU emissi<strong>on</strong>s.o The ‘effort sharing decisi<strong>on</strong>’, which operates outside the EU ETS <strong>and</strong> establishesannual binding GHG emissi<strong>on</strong> targets for individual Member States for the 2013-2020 period. These c<strong>on</strong>cern emissi<strong>on</strong>s from sectors such as waste, agriculture,buildings, etc.• The ‘20-20-20’ targets are supported by the l<strong>on</strong>g-term target of 85-90 % reducti<strong>on</strong> in GHGemissi<strong>on</strong>s against 1990 levels by 2050.• The Roadmap looks bey<strong>on</strong>d the 2020 targets <strong>and</strong> sets out a plan to meet the l<strong>on</strong>g-termtarget of reducing EU emissi<strong>on</strong>s by 80-95 % by 2050. The strategy takes a sectoralperspective, looking at how the heavy-emissi<strong>on</strong>s sectors such as power generati<strong>on</strong>,transport, buildings <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, industry <strong>and</strong> agriculture can make the transiti<strong>on</strong> toa low-carb<strong>on</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omy over the coming decades.Energy Roadmap 2050 • In the Energy Roadmap 2050, the EU explores the challenges posed by delivering the EU’sdecarb<strong>on</strong>isati<strong>on</strong> objective, while at the same time ensuring security of energy supply <strong>and</strong>competitiveness.Flagship initiative for aresource-efficient Europe• It supports the shift to a resource-efficient, low-carb<strong>on</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omy to achieve sustainablegrowth. It provides a l<strong>on</strong>g-term framework for acti<strong>on</strong> to factor in resource efficiency in abalanced manner in many policy areas, including climate change, energy, transport,industry, agriculture, biodiversity <strong>and</strong> regi<strong>on</strong>al development.3.1.2 <strong>Climate</strong> change adaptati<strong>on</strong> — overview of current status, trends <strong>and</strong> policyresp<strong>on</strong>sesCurrent status, trends <strong>and</strong> key driversRegardless of the success of mitigati<strong>on</strong> acti<strong>on</strong>, some degree of climate change is already ‘locked in’<strong>and</strong> we are feeling the effects of our changing climate already. Several studies have assessed thecurrent status, trends <strong>and</strong> key drivers for climate change <strong>and</strong> provide a useful background. SeeAdapting to climate change — SOER 2010 thematic assessment (EEA, 2010) 12 <strong>and</strong> the European<strong>Climate</strong> Adaptati<strong>on</strong> Platform: CLIMATE-ADAPT, 13 as well as other documents listed in Annex 1 to this<str<strong>on</strong>g>Guidance</str<strong>on</strong>g>.Policy resp<strong>on</strong>seAdaptati<strong>on</strong> involves adjusting our behaviour to limit harm <strong>and</strong> exploiting the beneficial opportunitiesarising from climate change. However, our level of preparedness, resilience <strong>and</strong> vulnerability are noteasily quantifiable, making it difficult to set hard <strong>and</strong> fast targets. But climate change mitigati<strong>on</strong>targets are more tangible. In the EU, the focus is <strong>on</strong> integrating (‘mainstreaming’) adaptati<strong>on</strong> <strong>into</strong> allrelevant policies <strong>and</strong> instruments <strong>and</strong> facilitating effective, c<strong>on</strong>sistent adaptati<strong>on</strong> acti<strong>on</strong> at nati<strong>on</strong>al,regi<strong>on</strong>al <strong>and</strong> local levels. For example, the legislative proposals for the EU regi<strong>on</strong>al policy (2014-2020) include ex-ante c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>alities linked with climate change aspects, which need to be met by12 http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/adapting-to-climate-change.13 http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/<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 23