Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

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Mitigation (climatechange)Mitigation (SEA)Natura 2000No-net-loss ofbiodiversityNo-regretmeasuresPrecautionaryprincipleProxy indicatorResidual effectsResilienceSEA DirectiveSecondary effectsSensitivitySignificant effectsSynergistic effectsVulnerabilityA term used to describe the process of reducing GHG emissions that are contributing to climatechange. It includes strategies to reduce GHG emissions and enhancing GHG sinks.Measures to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects on theenvironment of implementing the PP. (SEA Directive)An EU-wide network of nature protection areas established under the Habitats Directive. The aimof the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened speciesand habitats. It is comprised of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member Statesunder the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the BirdsDirective.The point where biodiversity gains from targeted conservation activities match the losses ofbiodiversity due to the impacts of a specific development project, so that there is no net reductionoverall in the type, amount and condition (or quality) of biodiversity over space and time. A netgain means that biodiversity gains exceed a specific set of losses. The concept of no-net biodiversityloss lies at the heart of biodiversity offsetting. (Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme)‘No-regret’ measures are activities that yield benefits even in the absence of climate change. Inmany locations, the implementation of these actions constitutes a very efficient first step in a longtermadaptation strategy. For example, controlling leakages in water pipes or maintaining drainagechannels is almost always considered a very good investment from a cost–benefit analysisperspective, even in absence of climate change. (CLIMATE-ADAPT relevant webpage)Principle adopted by the UN Conference on the Environment and Development (1992) that in orderto protect the environment, a precautionary approach should be widely applied, meaning thatwhere there are threats of serious or irreversible damage to the environment, lack of full scientificcertainty should not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to preventenvironmental degradation. (EEA Glossary)Indirect measure that approximates or represents a phenomenon in the absence of a directmeasure.Effects that remain after mitigation action.The ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances, while retaining the same basicstructure and ways of functioning, as well as its capacity to self-organise and adapt to stress andchange. There are different ways in which resilience can be framed; the Dutch Climate ChangesSpatial Planning research programme provides a list. (Adapted from CLIMATE-ADAPT Glossary). Itcan be also described as the amount of change a system can undergo without changing state.Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on theenvironment, OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p.30. It requires the environmental effects of a broad range ofplans and programmes to be assessed so they can be considered while plans are actually beingdeveloped, and in due course adopted. The public must also be consulted on the draft plans andthe environmental assessment, and their views must be taken into account.Effects that occur as a consequence of a primary effect or as a result of a complex pathway (seealso indirect effects).The degree to which a system is affected, either adversely or beneficially, by climate-relatedstimuli. The effect may be direct (e.g. a change in crop yield in response to a change in the mean,range, or variability of temperature) or indirect (e.g. damages caused by an increase in thefrequency of coastal flooding due to sea level rise).Effects that are significant in the context of the PP, i.e. a function not just of magnitude or size ofeffect, but of nature, sensitivity and scale of the receptor.Effects that interact to produce a total effect greater (or less than) than the sum of the individualeffects. Cumulative effects that result when the interaction of a number of impacts is greater thanthe sum of the individual impacts.The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climatechange, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character,magnitude, and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity,and its adaptive capacity. (CLIMATE-ADAPT Glossary)8 <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA
SummaryDirective 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects ofcertain plans and programmes on the environment 1(‘Strategic Environmental Assessment’ — ‘SEA Directive’)requires certain public plans and programmes (PPs) toundergo an environmental assessment before they areadopted.How important are climatechange and biodiversity for yourSEA?• How will PP influence climatechange and biodiversity andThe aim of this <strong>Guidance</strong> on Integrating Climate Changehow it will be influenced byclimate change and biodiversity?and Biodiversity into Strategic Environmental Assessment is • What is it about climate changeto improve the consideration of these issues in strategic and biodiversity that poses aenvironmental assessments (SEAs) carried out across the challenge to the assessmentprocess?EU Member States. This summary gives an overview of the• How does that affect theguidance and distils the advice on how to integrate theseissues into SEAs.information needs — what typeof information, what sourcesand what stakeholders will holdThe guidance is arranged in a way that will encourage information and specificusers to think about how important climate change andknowledge in these areas?• What are the key aspects tobiodiversity — as assessment issues — are likely to be for a cover in the detailed assessmentspecific SEA (see box right).Section 1 contains an introduction and detailed user guide,and how important will thoseissues be in decision making?including a navigation aid to help to decide when and howto use the guidance. Sections 2 and 3 explain why climate change and biodiversity are so importantfor SEAs, including an explanation of the issues and the policy background at the international/EUlevel. Section 4 helps to scope the climate change and biodiversity issues, and Section 5 explains howto assess climate change and biodiversity throughout the SEA process. The annexes provide sourcesof further reading and links to other relevant guidance, information, data and tools.The summary boxes overleaf distil the main points of the guidance on how to integrate climatechange and biodiversity into SEAs.1 Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plansand programmes on the environment, OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p.30.<strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA 9
Page 1 and 2: Guidance on Integr
Page 3: ForewordThe need for action on clim
Page 6 and 7: GlossaryTermAdaptation(climate chan
Page 10: HOW TO ADDRESS BOTH CLIMATE CHANGE
Page 13 and 14: guidance.Since it is the first such
Page 15 and 16: 2. Climate change and biodiversity
Page 17 and 18: 2.2.3 Resilience of a PP to a chang
Page 19 and 20: 2.3.2 Complexity of the issues and
Page 21 and 22: 3. Understanding climate change and
Page 23 and 24: EU Climate and EnergyPackageRoadmap
Page 25 and 26: • Under Article 6(3) of the Habit
Page 27 and 28: Table 5: Key aspects of biodiversit
Page 29 and 30: single biggest cause of biodiversit
Page 31 and 32: Engaging proactively with environme
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Page 51 and 52: Annex 1: Further readingThe policy
Page 53 and 54: Resource Paper: No Net Loss and Los
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EmDATERA-NET ROAD —Coordination a
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GeneralData and Maps (EEA)EUROSTATE
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factorsEcosystembasedapproachesEcos
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to your PP area. Greenhouse Gas Imp
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stage, but may be extended intothe
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enefits for all; Political: discuss
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