Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

Table 6: Examples of headline climate change and biodiversity issues to consider as part of SEAs• degradation of ecosystem servicesClimate change mitigation Climate change adaptation Biodiversity• energy demand in industry • heat waves (including impact on• freeze-thaw damage 20• energy demand in housing andconstructionhuman health, damage to crops,forest fires, etc.)• loss of habitats, fragmentation(including the extent or quality of• GHG emissions in agriculture • droughts (including decreased the habitat, protected areas,• GHG emissions in waste water availability and quality and including Natura 2000 sites,managementincreased water demand)habitat fragmentation or• travel patterns and GHG • flood management and extreme isolation, as well as the impactsemissions from transportrainfall eventson the processes which are• GHG emissions from energy • storms and high wind (including important for the creation and/orproductiondamage to infrastructure, maintenance of ecosystems)• land use, land-use change, buildings, crops and forests) • loss of species diversity (includingforestry and biodiversity• landslidesspecies protected under the• sea level rise, extreme storms, Habitats and Birds Directives)coastal erosion and saline • loss of genetic diversityintrusion• cold spellsThis is only an indicative list, it is not comprehensive. The issues and impacts that will be relevant toany particular SEA will depend upon the specific circumstances and context of each PP (e.g. the typeof PP, the sector covered, its location, scale and the characteristics of the receiving environment,institutional and governance arrangements, etc.). Therefore this section should be used just as astarting point for considering what issues and impacts may be relevant. The level of certainty of theprojected changes listed in Table 6 will also vary, and some changes may be more certain thanothers. Annex 1 and the sources of information in Annex 2, as well as relevant national and localinformation, should help determine which are the relevant key climate change and biodiversityissues (see also the discussion on the use of scenario, vulnerability assessment, etc. below and inSection 5).This information can be used during both the scoping and screening stages to help identify whichclimate change and biodiversity issues and impacts might be most relevant to an SEA of a particularPP. Some key questions are provided to help a reader think through which might be most relevant ina specific situation. It may be useful to explore these questions with stakeholders with an interest orexpertise in climate change or biodiversity.4.2 Identifying the key climate change issuesThe starting point is likely to involve considering climate change scenarios, along with socioeconomicscenarios, and what the implications of these could be for the PP. Key issues of concernare likely to be around GHG emissions for mitigation, and adaptation measures needed to deal withanticipated impacts resulting from climate change. Note that the mitigation and adaptation concernswill need to be appropriate to the level at which the PP is operating and will have an influence on/beinfluenced by.20 Freeze-thaw weathering is a form of physical weathering, common in mountains and glacial environments, caused by the expansion ofwater as it freezes. This process also applies to infrastructure materials, e.g. concrete. Climate change is projected to bring moreunpredictable winter weather in some parts of the world, increasing the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles. As this happens, roads, railways,water networks, etc. will suffer problems and increased maintenance costs. (adapted from: Talk Talk, and Weathering of buildingInfrastructure and the changing climate: adaptation options (Auld H., Klaassen J., Comer N., 2007)32 <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA