5 Adapting to climate change
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8526/09
+ ADDs 1-4
COM(09) 147
| Commission White Paper: Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 1 April 2009
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| Deposited in Parliament | 9 April 2009
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| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 29 April 2009
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| Previous Committee Report | None, but see footnotes 14 and 15
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
5.1 According to the Commission, addressing climate change
requires two types of response —
mitigation action of the sort already taken to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, and adaptation action to deal with those
impacts which are already unavoidable as a result of previous
emissions. It points out that adaptation is already taking place,
but in a piecemeal fashion, and that a more strategic approach
is necessary, ensuring coherence across different sectors and
levels of government. It says that it has, in the light of the
wide-ranging consultation launched by its Green Paper[14]
on this subject in 2007, set out in this White Paper a framework
to reduce the Community's vulnerability to the impact of climate
change: and it notes that the Community
is currently working with other countries in the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) towards reaching
in Copenhagen at the end of this year a post-2012 agreement, on
which it has recently put forward a Communication.[15]
It also points out that investing in a low-carbon economy, by
promoting energy efficiency and the uptake of green products,
is one of the key objectives of the European
Economic Recovery Plan put forward in response to the current
financial crisis.
The current document
THE NEED FOR AN ADAPTATION STRATEGY AT A EUROPEAN
LEVEL
5.2 The Commission notes that the impacts of
climate change will vary by region, and will also affect a number
of sectors, notably agriculture (in terms of crop yields, livestock
management, and production location, with particular risks of
increased crop failure, and the depletion of organic matter in
soil); forests; fisheries and aquaculture; coasts and marine eco-systems;
energy supply and demand (arising from both increased temperatures
and decreases in rainfall); infrastructure (buildings, transport,
energy and water supply); tourism; and human, animal and plant
health. It says that the challenge for policy-makers will be to
understand these climate change impacts, and to develop and implement
policies to ensure an optimal level of adaptation, and it suggests
that action at Community and Member State levels should involve
promoting strategies which increase the resilience to climate
change of health, property and the productive functions of land,
by increasing the management of water resources and ecosystems.
5.3 The Commission adds that the economic case
for such an approach rests on the basis that individual actions
are unlikely to be optimal, and that some may actually increase
vulnerability: it also notes that studies, such as the Stern Report,
have indicated that the costs of taking action will over the medium
to long term be lower than those of inaction. It also points out
that, although the regional variability and severity of climate
change impacts mean that most measures will be taken at national,
regional or local levels, these can be supported and strengthened
by an integrated and coordinated approach at a Community
level, particularly where the impact of climate change transcends
national borders, or where it affects sectors which are subject
to single market and common policies.
PROPOSED COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK
5.4 The Commission suggests that any Community
framework should adopt a phased approach. The first phase (from
2009-13) would lay the ground work, and would focus on four pillars
of action:
- building a solid knowledge
base on the impact and consequences of climate change for the
Community;
- integrating adaptation into
key Community
policy areas;
- employing a combination of
market based instruments, guidelines and public-private partnerships
to ensure effective delivery of adaptation;
- stepping up international cooperation.
The Commission suggests that this would pave the
way for a comprehensive adaptation strategy to be implemented
during the second phase, commencing in 2013.
Developing the knowledge base
5.5 The Commission says that more knowledge is
needed on climate impact and vulnerability, but adds that the
considerable amount of information which already exists is not
shared across Member States. It suggests that an effective measure
would be to establish a Clearing House Mechanism, which would
contribute to the Shared Environmental Information System established
by the Commission and the European
Environment Agency, and that it would also rely on the information
provided by the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
(GMES). It adds that a proactive research and education policy
is needed to promote better understanding and the development
of the necessary technologies, and that climate change will also
be an important issue for the recently inaugurated European
Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Integrating adaptation into Community policies
5.6 The Commission says that, for each sector
concerned, further work should be started during the 2009-13 period
to determine the actual and potential climate change impacts,
the costs of both action and inaction, and how any proposed measures
impact upon or interact with policies in other sectors. However,
it says that early action is needed in the following key policy
areas.
Health and social systems
5.7 The Commission notes that the EU Health Strategy
anticipates action on adaptation, and that, whilst this should
be taken mainly by Member States, the Community should use measures
under the EU Health Programme to assist them, and should explore
with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other agencies ways
of ensuring adequate surveillance and control of the impact of
climate change on health. It suggests that the impact of animal
health will need to be addressed principally at farm level, but
points out that the Community
Animal Health Strategy aims to prioritise disease control, improve
data gathering, and step up disease surveillance. In the social
domain, it says that there is mounting evidence that low-income
groups are more vulnerable to climate change, and that adaptation
policies need to ensure that the burdens are distributed equitably.
It proposes that:
- guidelines and surveillance
mechanisms on the health impacts of climate change should be developed
by 2011;
- existing animal disease surveillance
and control systems should be stepped up;
- the impacts of climate change
and adaptation policies on employment and on the well-being of
vulnerable social groups should be assessed.
Agriculture and forests
5.8 The Commission believes that the Common Agricultural
Policy (CAP) is well placed to make a central contribution to
adaptation, both through direct help to farmers and by providing
wider ecosystem services dependent upon specific land management.
It says that Member States should be encouraged to embed climate
change adaptation into the three strands of rural development
aimed at improving competitiveness, the environment, and the quality
of life in rural areas, with the Farm Advisory System being used
to disseminate knowledge. It adds that, more generally, consideration
should be given to the CAP providing an adequate framework for
sustainable production, and that consideration should be given
to support for farms which are particularly vulnerable to climate
change. The Commission summarises the action needed as being:
- to ensure that measures for
adaptation and water management are embedded in rural development
national strategies and programmes for 2007-2013;
- to consider how adaptation
can be integrated into the three strands of rural development
and give adequate support for sustainable production, including
how the CAP contributes to the efficient use of water in agriculture;
- to examine the capacity of
the Farm Advisory System to reinforce training, knowledge and
the adoption of new technologies which facilitate adaptation;
- to update forestry strategy
and launch a debate on options for a Community approach on forest
protection and forest information systems.
Biodiversity ecosystems and water
5.9 The Commission points out that ecosystem
services such as carbon sequestration, flood protection, and protection
against soil erosion are all directly linked to climate change,
and that healthy ecosystems are an essential defence against some
of its more extreme impacts. It says that, in view of this, a
comprehensive and integrated approach towards the maintenance
and enhancement of ecosystem goods and services is needed. It
adds that, in the case of water, a number of Community
policies (such as the Water Framework Directive) contribute to
adaptation, but that the Commission will need to assess the need
for further measures to address water scarcity, with the impact
of climate change also being factored into the management of habitats.
It proposes:
- to explore the possibilities
to improve policies and develop measures which address biodiversity
loss and climate change in an integrated manner to fully exploit
co-benefits and avoid ecosystem feedbacks which accelerate global
warming;
- to develop guidelines and a
set of tools (guidance and exchange of best practices) by the
end of 2009 to ensure that the River Basin Management Plans are
climate-proofed;
- to ensure that climate change
is taken into account in the implementation of the Floods Directive;
- to assess the need for further
measures to enhance water efficiency in agriculture, households
and buildings;
- to explore the potential for
policies and measures to boost ecosystem storage capacity for
water in Europe;
- to draft guidelines by 2010
on dealing with the impact of climate change on the management
of Natura 2000 sites.
Coastal and marine areas
5.10 The Commission says that climate change
must also be properly integrated into the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive, which requires the achievement of good environmental
status for the Community's
marine waters by 2020, but that a more coherent and integrated
approach to maritime and coastal planning is also needed. In addition,
it notes the further pressure which climate change puts on European
fisheries, and the need to take this into account in ensuring
long-term sustainability under the future reformed Common Fisheries
Policy (CFP). The Commission proposes:
- to ensure that adaptation in
coastal and marine areas is taken into account in the framework
of the Integrated Maritime Policy, in the implementation of the
Marine Strategy Framework Directive and in the reform of the Common
Fisheries Policy;
- to develop European guidelines
on adaptation in coastal and marine areas.
Production systems and physical infrastructure
5.11 The Commission says that protecting infrastructure
from the impact of climate change will be predominantly a Member
State responsibility, but that the Community nevertheless has
an important role in promoting best practice. It adds that improving
the resilience of transport infrastructure and energy networks
requires a coordinated approach, which provides a basis for strategic
choices, adding that adaptation should be considered in the course
of the Strategic Energy Review. It also says that infrastructure
receiving Community funding should take climate proofing into
account, with the methodologies in question being incorporated
into guidelines for the Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) and Energy
(TEN-E) Networks and Community Cohesion Policy. In summary, the
Commission proposes:
- to take account of climate
change impacts in the Strategic Energy Review process.
- to develop methodologies for
climate-proofing infrastructure projects and consider how these
could be incorporated into the TEN-T and TEN-E guidelines and
guidance on investments under Cohesion Policy in the current period.
- to explore the possibility
of making climate impact assessment a condition for public and
private investment.
- to assess the feasibility of
incorporating climate impacts into construction standards, such
as Eurocodes.
- to develop guidelines by 2011
to ensure that climate impacts are taken into account in the Environmental
Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment Directives.
FINANCING
5.12 The Commission notes that the Stern Review
identified financial constraints as one of the main barriers to
adaptation, and says that climate change is one of the priorities
for the current (2007-13) multi-annual financial framework. It
adds that it is therefore important to ensure that the funds available
are used to reflect this priority, and that there is scope for
adaptation action by Member States and for better targeting of
the funds available. It also notes that the European Economic
Recovery Plan contains a number of proposals in this area, and
that it is essential for the relevant sectors to develop strategies
for adaptive actions. It recommends a number of actions, namely:
- the development of detailed
cost estimates by 2011 for relevant policy areas so that they
can be taken into account in future financial decisions.
- a further examination of the
potential use of innovative funding measures for adaptation.
- an exploration of the potential
for insurance and other financial products to complement adaptation
measures and to function as risk sharing instruments.
- encouraging Member States to
utilise revenues from the Community's Emissions Trading Scheme
for adaptation purposes.
EXTERNAL DIMENSION AND ONGOING WORK UNDER UNFCCC
5.13 The White Paper highlights the urgent need
to step up efforts to mainstream adaptation into all of the Community's
external policies, to strengthen dialogue with the most vulnerable
developing countries by fully exploiting the assistance provided
under Global Climate Change Alliance by 2010, and to take the
Framework for Action on Adaptation forward in the UNFCCC. It also
acknowledges that failure to adapt to climate change could have
significant security implications, and points out that the Community
is therefore strengthening its analysis and early warning systems,
and integrating climate change into existing tools such as conflict
prevention mechanisms and security sector reform. It suggests
that the effects of climate change on migratory flows should also
be considered in the Community's broader reflection on security,
development and migration policies.
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEMBER STATES
5.14 The White Paper proposes that an Impacts
and Adaptation Steering Group (supported by a number of technical
groups dealing with key sectors) should be established by September
2009 to strengthen cooperation on adaptation, and in particular
help to develop the four pillars, play a role in developing the
EU strategy, and consider the level at which action would be most
appropriate. This group would comprise representatives from the
Member States involved in the formulation of national and regional
adaptation programmes, and would consult with representatives
from civil society and the scientific community.
5.15 The Commission concludes by observing that
adaptation will be a long and continuous process, operating at
all levels, and requiring close coordination. It suggests that
the Community should support national and international efforts
by ensuring adequate resources are available, and it says that
it will regularly review the progress made towards the first phase
of the actions identified in this White Paper.
The Government's view
5.16 In his extremely detailed Explanatory Memorandum
of 29 April 2009, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Mr Hilary Benn) says that the Government welcomes
the proposal to establish an EU Adaptation Framework and the overall
approach in the White Paper, particularly the emphasis on partnership
working, adding that it attaches great importance to establishing
effective national strategies and programmes, given that impacts
can vary considerably from region to region, and the need to make
sure that action is taken at the most appropriate level.
5.17 That said, he believes that the four pillars
identified in the White Paper usefully cover areas where action
at the Community level would be appropriate, integrating adaptation
into key policy areas under the second pillar being particularly
important in pointing the way for Member States and other countries.
He adds that the UK will be able to assist in building a solid
knowledge base under the first pillar, since its Climate Projections,
due to be launched later this year, are a comprehensive package
which will describe how the UK's climate might change through
the 21st century.
5.18 The Minister observes that the White Paper
covers a broad range of issues, and that, although it is not expected
to result in specific legislation on adaptation, careful consideration
will need to be given to any changes to existing legislation and
policies as a result of any actions arising from it. In the meantime,
he has dealt at some length with the various elements in it, and
his comments are set out in Annex A.
Conclusion
5.19 This document clearly deals with a subject
of great topicality, importance and interest, and we are therefore
reporting it to the House. We have also considered carefully whether
to recommend it for debate in European Committee. However, notwithstanding
the document's importance, its basic thrust is uncontentious,
and its main aim is to identify areas where work can be started
now, with a view to the adoption of a comprehensive European strategy
in 2013. Consequently, we feel that a debate at this stage would
probably achieve very little, since there is likely to be a broad
consensus on the need for action to adapt to climate change, whilst
Ministers would probably not be able to say very much in response
to any questions on the detailed aspects. We are therefore clearing
the document, while drawing it to the attention of the Committee
on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
14 (28753) 11490/07: see HC 41-xxxii (2006-07), chapter
4 (25 July 2007). Back
15
(30412) 5892/09: see HC 19-ix (2008-09), chapter 1 (4 March 2009). Back
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