ClimSave

Climate change integrated assessment methodology for cross-sectoral adaptation and vulnerability in Europe

CLIMSAVE develops and applies an integrated methodology for a stakeholder-led assessment on climate change impact and vulnerability and develops most effective and suitable adaptation measures for vulnerability hotspots.

CLIMSAVE develops and applies an integrated methodology for stakeholder-led, climate change impact and vulnerability assessment that explicitly evaluates regional and continental scale adaptation options, and cross-sectoral interactions between the key sectors driving landscape change in Europe (agriculture, forests, biodiversity, coasts/floodplains, water resources, urban development and transport): A range of sectoral meta-models will be linked within a common assessment platform that is user-friendly, interactive and web-based to allow the rapid reproduction of climate change impacts by stakeholders themselves.

Indicator metrics, which translate the outputs from the integrated models into ecosystem services outcomes, will create a standardised approach across sectors ensuring comparability in quantifying impacts and vulnerability.

The integrated assessment platform will use this metrics to identify hotspots of climate change vulnerability and provide the ability to assess adaptation strategies for reducing these vulnerabilities, in terms of their cost-effectiveness and cross-sectoral benefits and conflicts. Methods for reducing uncertainties and increasing the transparency of model and scenario assumptions will be implemented to inform the development of robust policy responses.

A series of professionally facilitated workshops will identify stakeholder preferences and test an innovative methodology for participatory scenario development specifically geared towards interactive climate change impact and adaptation assessment. Two sets of three workshops at two levels (European and regional: Scotland) will ensure that the CLIMSAVE methodologies work at different scales and provide for continuity of engagement and mutual learning.

Together with the University of Edinburgh, SERI co-leads a work package that will identify vulnerability hotspots and analyse uncertainties in impacts. This will identify whether different representations of the future lead to divergence or convergence of vulnerability outcomes and inform judgements about appropriate policy options.