Integrated Cross-Sectorial Plan of Tirana-Durres Area

EP6- Climate changes
Mitigation and adaptation measures to
climate change
This plan and reaching its objectives in
conjunction with sustainable development
can not be delivered without an integrated
approach to global and European views
on the impacts of climate change. The
5th Assessment Report 25 of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
states that the climate system warning is
unequivocal, and since the ‘50s, many of
the observed changes are unprecedented
in the decades before the start of the new
millennium.
Regarding Albania, although historical data
are limited, according to the Second National
Communication, 26 there is an increase in
temperature and a change in the frequency
and amount of rainfall throughout the year.
Based on the projections made for 2050, the
summer temperatures are expected to be 2.4-
3.1 degrees higher than the current average.
Moreover, the data from the recent years
have shown that Albania has started to feel
the effects of almost annual flooding, where
some of these floods have a more frequent
return period (Shkodra 2013, Fier, Lushnje,
Tirana 2015), as well as floods with occurrence
probability 1 every 1000 years (Shkodra 2010).
The basic principle of this policy is to support
the reduction of carbon emissions in the
future, consider the risks of flooding, erosion
and changes in the shoreline, encourage
reuse of the existing resources and the use of
renewable resources.
At the macro level:
1. Applying concepts and different methods to
guide spatial planning towards adaptation and
mitigation policies. For example: planning and
creating green corridors, as well as green and
multifunctional centres.
2. Strengthening the institutional and
organizational aspect of the governmental
structures in order to ensure inter-linkage
between planning authorities and other crosssectorial
authorities which have a role in
adaptation to climate change.
3. Establishing a comprehensive framework of
relevant legislation and regulations that ensure
the integration of elements of adaptation and
mitigation in spatial planning. For example:
smart and green economic growth.
4. Building the capacities (human and
financial) available to planning authorities to
develop and implement responses to climate
impacts.
5. Raising the awareness of policy and decision
makers on the impacts of climate change
and the importance of addressing these
impacts through concrete mitigation and
adaptation measures in the planning process.
For example, regarding the development of
the port of Porto Romano, which requires an
infrastructure sensitivity analysis towards the
phenomenon of sea level rise, and proposals to
achieve resilience of this infrastructure to the
expected rise in sea level.
6. Strengthening the knowledge, skills and
technical capacity related to infrastructure
adaptation to the effects of climate change
through instruction, education, training and
exchange of best practices.
At the local level:
1. During the planning of any new construction
or expansion of existing structures,
a sensitivity analysis of the provided
infrastructure should be conducted under
extreme weather conditions, and on the basis
of its results a plan of measures should
be developed to permanently reduce the
consequences of these phenomena.
25
http://unfccc.int/science/workstreams/cooperation_with_the_ipcc/items/8732.php
26
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/albnc2.pdf
164