References
Background references – Freshwater Climate Change
Highlighted numbers are IWL co-finance activities from UNDP
Document typology key:
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Web portals (WP)
- Global Data Sources (DS)
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Policy guidance (PG)
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Practical guidance and tools (GT)
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Adaptation methodologies (AM)
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Training in climate change and adaptation (TR)
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Public/stakeholder involvement (SI)
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Ecosystem specific material
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Rivers (RI)
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Lakes (LA)
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Groundwater (GW)
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Wetlands (WT)
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Title |
Source |
Reference typology |
Location |
Summary |
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1 |
Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into Strategic Environmental Assessment |
EU |
GT |
Climate Change Adaptation in Europe The European Climate Adaptation Platform (CLIMATE-ADAPT) aims to support Europe in adapting to climate change. It is an initiative of the European Commission and helps users to access and share information on:
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2 |
European Climate Adaptation Platform |
EU |
PG |
The European Climate Adaptation Platform (CLIMATE-ADAPT) aims to support Europe in adapting to climate change. It is an initiative of the European Commission and helps users to access and share information on:
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3 |
Coalition to address water issues in climate change |
Water and Climate Coalition, WCC |
WP |
The Coalition for Water and Climate (Water and Climate Coalition, WCC) is a global coalition that seeks to place water management in the heart of policy responses to climate change. It seeks to combine the various actors in the water community and promote an integrated gradually and international policies on water and climate change intergovernmental processes where water and climate are relevant. |
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4 |
Adaptation Tools for Public Officials |
US EPA |
WP |
A number of resources exist to help public officials and others with climate change adaptation planning. The tools, guidebooks, clearinghouses and other resources highlighted on this page offer a sampling of what is available from states, federal agencies, nonprofit and private organizations, and others. |
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5 |
Private Sector Initiative- database of actions on adaptation |
UNFCCC |
WP |
Private Sector Initiative - database of actions on adaptation While climate change poses a number of risks to vulnerable communities and businesses around the world, many opportunities are unfolding for private companies to implement actions towards reducing risks to their business operations, as well as investing in adaptation action in vulnerable regions in a sustainable and profitable manner, including: New market opportunities and expansions; Development of climate friendly goods and services; Potential cost savings; Risk reduction measures, including physical operations; Climate proofing the supply chain; Enhanced corporate social responsibility. |
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6 |
Down to Earth: Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) |
UNDP/UNEP |
WP |
Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) TACC is the outcome of a partnership between UNDP, UNEP and eight key networks of sub-national governments involving over 1,000 Regions. Recognizing that 50-80% of GHG emissions reductions and the bulk of adaptation efforts will depend on decisions taken at the sub-national level, the TACC partnership aims to empower sub-national governments to lead the global fight against climate change. |
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7 |
Project: Every Drop Matters: Inclusive Community-based Water Management and Adaptation to Climate Change project for Catalyzing Achievement of the MDGs |
UNDP |
AM |
A new partnership between Coca Cola Company and UNDP which will work in over 30 countries in Middle East/N. Africa, Central Europe, C. Asia and South Asia. Co-finance to IW:LEARN will be delivered via cooperative; advocacy, outreach and awareness raising to promote responsible water resource management and sanitation/hygiene practices |
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8 |
Climate Change Adaptation and Development |
UNDP |
WP |
UNDP methodologies and resources to support countries in adaptation initiatives: Adaptation Policy Framework (APF): A comprehensive guidebook for countries to help design and implement adaptation strategies, policies, and measures which ensure the goals of human development are met in the face of climate change. Toolkit for Designing Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives: An additional resource to provide guidance on key steps, checklists and training materials to support climate change adaptation projects. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA): An approach to adaptation used to integrate considerations related to climate change into national development, sectoral management planning or policymaking processes. Country Adaptation Profiles: A series of national studies of climate observations with multi-model projections reflecting trends – old and new. http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk/ |
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Adaptation to Climate Change |
UNDP |
WP |
Climate Change Adaptation and Water Adaptation to the impacts of climate change will be expensive and will require difficult policy shifts. UNDP works with countries to strengthen the governance and improving the management of water accompanied by investment in infrastructure projects, such as wastewater treatment facilities and structures for water storage and flood control. It is critical climate change in water governance in the context of reducing vulnerability of the poor, to maintain sustainable livelihoods and support sustainable development. UNDP promotes multi-stakeholder dialogue (involving more than just water managers), address issues relating to development, planning and fiscal incentives. UNDP also supports mechanisms to strengthen the capacity of governments and civil society organizations to assess the impact of climate variability and change on integrated water resources management, and assists the formulation of adaptation strategies to integrate these impacts into poverty reduction strategies, and national and local development planning.” In summary UNDP’s role for climate change adaptation in the water sector is to:
A constraining factor is the lack of accurate regionally and basin specific climate change data and the considerable uncertainty in the potential range of variation in the predictions, but in many instances we know what we need to do: improve the governance and management of water resources. Strengthening resilience and capacity to manage today’s climate is often an appropriate response to future climate change threats. Therefore the focus on adaptation could also become a development opportunity with positive impacts on all the MDGs |
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10 |
IWRM a Tool for Adaptation to Climate Change |
UNDP / CapNet |
WB |
These training materials are intended to increase our understanding about climate change and to explore what we can do now. There are actions that can be taken to prepare for a more variable climate and we can make a case to our policy makers to prepare for change. The most important immediate action concerns the way we manage our water resources. Improving our management of water today will prepare us to adapt tomorrow. Improved understanding of our water resources will allow more efficient and flexible allocation systems and better investment in infrastructure, both to improve access to water and reduce risks from climate change. We can act now and these training materials can help us to identify those actions. Other materials are available from Cap-Net that cover more specific issues of climate change, such as hydro-climatic disasters, urban flood management and community management of floods. |
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11 |
Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change |
PG |
The UNECE Guidance aims to support decision makers from the local to the transboundary and international level by offering advice on the challenges caused by climate change to water management and water-related activities and thereby to develop adaptation strategies. |
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12 |
Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning: A Guide for Practitioners |
UNDP/UNEP |
PG |
Efforts to mainstream climate change adaptation into national development planning are still at a relatively early stage in many countries. Countries are increasingly requesting the United Nations Development Programme–United Nations Environment Programme Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) to tackle the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into their national development planning, as part of broader poverty-environment mainstreaming efforts. The present guide addresses this need for integrating climate change adaptation considerations into the work of PEI. In addition, by building on PEI lessons in the field of poverty-environment mainstreaming in general, the guide can provide useful insights to adaptation specialists interested in mainstreaming their efforts. The framework proposed in this guide consists of three components, each of which involves a set of activities or modules for which a range of tactics, methodologies and tools can be used.
Because efforts to mainstream climate change adaptation into national development planning are still at a relatively early stage in many countries, the proposed approach will need to be tested and improved as the wealth of experience across regions increases. By continuing this work, practitioners can help ensure that climate change adaptation is factored in a way that reduces poverty, promotes sustainable economic growth and helps achieve the Millennium Development Goals. |
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13 |
Screening Tools and Guidelines to Support the Mainstreaming of Climate Change Adaptation into Development Assistance |
UNDP |
WP |
The report provides an overview of existing tools and good practices introduced by various organizations to guide development practitioners in their climate change mainstreaming efforts. It also explores the rationale for mainstreaming, outlines the main components necessary to operationalize mainstreaming, and indicates the various relevant levels and associated entry points to consider in the process. Based on relevant literature and practices, the report discusses and illustrates key climate change adaptation and mainstreaming concepts and their relation to development; explores climate risk screening efforts; and provides a comparative analysis of climate risk screening tools. It concludes by underlining the need for a common language on climate change mainstreaming, including clear definitions of key climate change adaptation and mainstreaming concepts, and transparent indicators for assessing climate change adaptation activities. Furthermore, “in order to make full use of the wealth of information provided through the development and piloting of climate risk screening tools and methods – and to secure consistency – there is a need to harmonize approaches to assessment and integration of climate risks in development activities.” |
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14 |
Mainstreaming processes for climate change adaptation: collection of best practices |
Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) |
WP |
This collection of best practices looks at successful mainstreaming efforts to provide policy makers and planners in the Pacific with ideas and lessons learned. The examples, which come from different regions and sectors including the Pacific, are not only illustrating adaptation to climate change. Many examples originate from other related mainstreaming efforts like disaster risk management or environmental mainstreaming. Interestingly, one major obstacle of mainstreaming has hardly been discussed in the literature reviewed, that is, so called ‘mainstreaming fatigue’. This phenomenon describes the excessive demands placed on policy makers and development planners to take more and more issues into account which, at first glance, are unrelated to the project goal. Common issues to be mainstreamed include gender, HIV/AIDS, conflict, environment and disaster risk reduction. The pressure to integrate progressively more of these important topics has continued, but it is obvious that people will undertake mainstreaming only if they are convinced that there will be an advantage in the long run. This can be an economic calculation or a demonstration that neglecting climate change might jeopardize the success of the project. The additional workload connected with the mainstreaming of adaptation to climate change can be reduced if effective and easy-to-use tools are available, which minimize the additional efforts. |
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15 |
The UN World Water Assessment Programme - Dialogue Paper |
UNDP (UNESCO) |
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16 |
The UN World Water Assessment Programme - Dialogue Paper |
SIWI (UNESCO) |
SI |
The objective of this paper is to discuss the responses of communities in the current context of consideration of extreme events and climate change, and to do so while demonstrating the importance of the commitment of leaders in this process. We begin by defining climate change, adaptation and the vulnerabilities associated with this phenomenon; we then describe sustainable adaptation strategies linked to specific real-world cases, and, finally, we discuss and propose possible solutions through the experience of the ISW and its partners in development, an approach that we believe is essential in a context of climate change. |
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17 |
The UN World Water Assessment Programme - Dialogue Paper |
OAS (UNESCO) |
RI |
The La Plata River Basin is one of the largest river basins in the world and drains approximately one-fifth of the South American continent, including the southern part of Brazil, the south-eastern part of Bolivia, a large part of Uruguay, the whole of Paraguay, and an extensive portion of the central and northern parts of Argentina. Water and nutrients from the central regions of South America discharge through the La Plata River to the South Atlantic Ocean, creating in its maritime front one of the richest and most diverse marine ecosystems in the world. The La Plata River Basin is comprised of three large river systems: the Paraná River, the Paraguay River, and the Uruguay River. The Paraguay River has an average annual flow of 3,800 m3/s (at Pilcomayo Harbour); the Parana River has an average annual flow of 17,100 m3/s (at Corrientes); and the Uruguay River has an average annual flow of 4,500 m3/s. These last two rivers converge to form the La Plata River, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean, with an average output of 25,000 m3/s. A large wetland corridor links the Pantanal (in the headwaters of the Paraguay River) with the Delta del Parana, at its outlet to the La Plata River. This system of interconnected wetlands is essential to the existence of extensive area of biological diversity and productivity. Important groundwater systems include the Guaraní Aquifer System, one of the largest aquifers in the world comprised of confined deep groundwater bodies and the Yrenda-Toba-Tarijeño Aquifer System (SAYTT), entirely contained within the La Plata Basin in the semi-arid Chaco of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Climate change scenarios show an increasing process of desertification within this region, which, when combined with high poverty index values and the presence of indigenous communities, make the SAYTT a top priority for integrated surface-groundwater management. |
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18 |
The UN World Water Assessment Programme - Scientific Paper |
UNESCO |
PG |
This paper discusses how participatory hydro-climatological modelling can be used to assess specific water issues on the Châteauguay watershed in southern Québec. It looks at different model responses regarding water budget dynamics, with a focus on summer water shortages and irrigation needs. It aims to stimulate water authorities’ and managers’ thoughts about climate-change adaptive planning options. The methodologies developed involve the use of a regional climate model providing climate information subsequently incorporated as forcing input (a) to two hydrological models (Hydrotel and Promet) and (b) to the FAO irrigation model. Results show that in climate-change scenarios for a 2050 time horizon, summer flows are projected to decrease while irrigation needs appear to increase considerably. The lesson learned from this modelling exercise reinforces the principle of forward-thinking, adaptive watershed-management strategies (regarding, in this case, water volume management for irrigation purposes). This exercise also shows that before proposing any adaptive solution, the issue needs to be assessed scientifically (in terms of water budget as well as in the socioeconomic domain) to evaluate the uncertainties of climate-change impact analysis, with respect to the multi-usage and integrated watershed management contexts of southern Québec. Climate change is in progress and affects many economic, social and ecological developments. In Southern Québec surface air temperature has increased during the period 1960–2005 and this warming is significantly evident in the western, southern and central parts of the province. In the summer, significant increasing temperature trends are found and precipitation indices indicate decreasing trends. Climate-change scenarios produced at Ouranos show that in the future, summer temperature will increase while no significant change is obtained for precipitation amount. This could lead to pronounced alterations in the seasonal water budget, putting increasing pressure on summer water availability and usage. Thus, reliable assessment of the potential climate-change impacts is necessary on a regional level. Suitable adaptation strategies must be developed in order to minimize adverse effects and to optimize possible benefits on water management issues. These adaptation schemes may profit largely from the careful integration of scientific model results into the decision processes of policy-making entities on different levels. This is not an easy task due to the manifold perspectives and interests in these issues. This paper discusses management issues arising from increasing agricultural water requirements under stressed water conditions, with the aim of optimizing possible benefits. |
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19 |
Climate change and the future of freshwater biodiversity in Europe: a primer for policy-makers |
Freshwater Reviews, Vol 2, No 2 (2009) |
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20 |
Climate Change 2007: Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability |
IPCC |
PG |
The report makes the following observations:
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21 |
The Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change |
UNFCCC |
PG |
The Nairobi work programme (NWP) on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change was adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its eleventh session, in 2005. The objective of the NWP is to assist all Parties, in particular developing countries, including the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) to:
The report contains a synthesis of adaptation actions undertaken by Nairobi work programme partner organizations |
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22 |
Compendium on methods and tools to evaluate impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change |
UNFCCC |
PG |
This updated compendium is organized in a way that allows existing adaptation analysis and decision frameworks and tools to be catalogued in manner that is clear and easy to use and does not prescribe or recommend methods or tools. Whereas the original compendium for the most part organized discrete adaptation decision tools according to sectors of application, echoing the sectoral model based approach to vulnerability and adaptation assessment of the time, the organization of this revised compendium reflects the expanded scope and comprehensiveness of methods currently in use. Thus, the revised compendium attempts to reflect the current state of knowledge by collecting and summarizing three broad categories of frameworks, methods, and tools. First, it reviews some of the complete frameworks (both what are previously referred to as first generation approaches and second generation approaches), those methods that prescribe an entire process for the assessment of vulnerability and adaptation and in some instances assemble toolkits to support this process. These frameworks offer a broad strategic approach. Second, the compendium establishes a structure for cataloging tools that assist in addressing key cross-cutting themes or whose application spans multiple steps of the assessment process, as well as discrete tools that are applicable to multiple sectors. These are not comprehensive frameworks, nor are they tools applicable only to a specific sector and step of an assessment framework. Some constitute partial frameworks or particular research orientations that prescribe an approach to undertaking an assessment (e.g., stakeholder analysis) and can be applied at various stages of the assessment. Others are tools that are applicable to more than one sector or tend to address a particular stage of an assessment (e.g., GCM downscaling, socioeconomic scenario building, decision making). Third this revised version organizes discrete tools specific to particular sectors. Much of the content of the original compendium has been conserved here. We have significantly updated the agriculture sector to reflect the development and use of new methods and tools. The compendium is intended for use by either assessment managers or technical researchers; it does not require extensive technical knowledge of modeling or specific decision-making techniques. Some of the frameworks and tools described in the compendium may require particular expertise, and these requirements are explicitly described. The compendium provides users with key information about available frameworks and tools, special features of each framework or tool, and information about how to obtain documentation, training, or publications supporting each tool. It has been designed to be used as a reference document to identify available frameworks and tools for assessing vulnerability and adaptation. This is not a manual describing how to implement each tool, but rather a survey of possible tools that can be applied to a broad spectrum of situations and a map to point users to additional sources of information. Each framework or tool is described in a summary table that summarizes its key features. With these tables as a reference, users can decide which frameworks and tools they want to use and then can obtain further documentation for the listed contact to fully evaluate each option. Each tool has been summarized to identify its potential applications. Looking at the resources available and the individual needs of the project, the user can identify which tools may be most appropriate to analyze the adaptation options they are considering. The compendium is not a “cookbook.” It does not provide full documentation for frameworks, models, or other tools. Users will need to obtain this information from the providers. Furthermore, users should carefully consider the alternative frameworks and tools discussed in the compendium. The appropriateness and usefulness of each may vary depending on users’ circumstances and information needs. Options for analysis should be carefully investigated and considered. |
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23 |
Adaptation Practices |
UNFCCC |
WP |
Adaptation Practices The adaptation practices interface is a gateway to information on adaptation practices worldwide. It provides a summary of adaptation practices by a large range of organizations, agencies and businesses, along with descriptions and relevant links and publications. |
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24 |
Climate Change Effects on Groundwater Resources |
UNESCO (Eds) |
PG |
This is a compilation of 20 case studies from more 30 different countries that have been carried out under the framework of the UNESCO- IHP GRAPHIC project. The case studies presented in this volume represent aquifers from all the major climate regions of the world. The studies address groundwater resources in a range of hydrogeological settings from mountainous to coastal aquifer systems, including unconfined, semi-confined, and confined aquifers in unconsolidated to fractured- rock material. More details on each case study location, climate, hydrogeological setting, land use, groundwater use, as well as subjects addressed and methods applied are presented. This volume is organized by case study according to the major climate groups of the Köppen- Geiger climate classification scheme: tropical, dry (arid and semi-arid), temperate, continental, and polar climates. The introduction of each chapter describes the purpose and scope, study area, methodology, and relevance to the GRAPHIC project. The results and discussion are followed by recommendations for water managers and planners, as well as policy and decision makers. Finally, the continuation of research activities and future work are outlined. |
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25 |
GWP |
WP |
Climate change adaptation policies Characteristics Global warming and related climate changes are predicted to significantly influence the water environment in the coming decades. There is general consensus that those changes will appear as spatial distribution and timing of rainfall, leading to increased risk of more frequent and higher intensity floods and droughts. It is predicted that a few degrees of change in temperature will directly impact the water environment to the extent that average river flows can increase in some areas by up to 40%, while in other areas, flows may decrease by up to 30%. Thus, the challenges are major and adaptation measures will have to be applied following a well prepared an adaptation policy. Lessons Although the experience in developing policies for climate change adaptation that build on better water resources management is still in its infancy, more successful policies are known to deal with: |
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26 |
Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities on Groundwater Resources |
UNESCO/IWLEARN ppt for MENARID |
GW |
The presentation covers:
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27 |
Climate Change Adaptation: The Pivotal Role of Water |
UN-Water Policy Brief |
PG |
Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences Earth’s ecosystem and thus the livelihood and well-being of societies. Higher temperatures and changes in extreme weather conditions are projected to affect availability and distribution of rainfall, snowmelt, river flows and groundwater, and further deteriorate water quality. The poor, who are the most vulnerable, are likely to be adversely affected. Water stress is already high, particularly in many developing countries; improved management is critical to ensure sustainable development. Water resources management affects almost all aspects of the economy, in particular health, food production and security; domestic water supply and sanitation; energy and industry; and environmental sustainability. If addressed inadequately, management of water resources will jeopardize progress on poverty reduction targets and sustainable development in all economic, social and environmental dimensions. Adaptation to climate change is closely linked to water and its role in sustainable development. To recognize this reality and to respond accordingly presents development opportunities. Various necessary adaptation measures that deal with climate variability and build upon existing land and water management practices have the potential to create resilience to climate change and to enhance water security and thus directly contribute to development. Innovative technological practices and implementation of strategies are also needed at the appropriate levels for adaptation as well as for mitigation. Adaptation to climate change is urgent. Water plays a pivotal role in it, but the political world has yet to recognize this notion. As a consequence, adaptation measures in water management are often underrepresented in national plans or in international investment portfolios. Therefore, significant investments and policy shifts are needed. These should be guided by the following principles:
Application of these principles would require joint efforts and local-to-global collaboration among sectoral, multisectoral as well as multidisciplinary institutions. Responding to the challenges of climate change impacts on water resources requires adaptation strategies at the local, regional, national and global levels. Countries are being urged to improve and consolidate their water resources management systems and to identify and implement “no regrets” strategies, which have positive development outcomes that are resilient to climate change. |
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28 |
Water and climate change : understanding the risks and making climate-smart investment decisions |
World Bank |
PG |
Climate change is real, and taking prudent measures to plan for and adapt to climate change must become an integral part of the Bank's water practice. There is now ample evidence that increased hydrologic variability and change in climate has and will continue have a profound impact on the water sector through the hydrologic cycle, water availability, water demand, and water allocation at the global, regional, basin, and local levels. This report and the analytical work leading to it are focused on key topics related to the impact of climate change on the water cycle and water investments. This report contributes to the World Bank agenda on climate change and more specifically, informs the water sector investments on climate issues and climate-smart adaptation options. Using the existing knowledge and additional analysis commissioned. The report illustrates that climate change is affecting the hydrologic cycle and the projected future hydrology will have a direct impact on the water resources base availability, usage, and management. Depending on the type of the water investment, this impact can be positive, negative, or neutral. The report addresses the stress on and vulnerability of the water systems through use of reliability, resilience, and robustness as the key indicators of sensitivity of water systems for climate induced failure. Current practices in the sector are examined in order to better understand the state-of-the-science for incorporating current and future variability and change in hydrology and climate in the Bank's portfolio for project planning and design. New and innovative practices taking into account adaptation options for water systems and risk-based decision making in water investments are reviewed and assessed for application to investments in infrastructure. The climate change dimension is placed within the context of the impact of other factors (within and outside the sector) such as population growth (and associated increase in demand) and land management (particularly as related to water), which in some cases may be far more significant and critical than that of climate change in some parts of the world. Finally, recommendations for a progressive agenda on water and climate change are made |
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29 |
Climate and lake impacts in Europe (EU-CLIME) |
EU FP 5 |
WP |
In CLIME a suite of Bayesian networks for climate impacts on lakes and a web-based information system (IS) for the project and for dissemination of its results. On server side the system had a database for various types of data and on client side the system had interactive web pages for modeling support and running the Bayesian networks. |
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30 |
Integrated project to evaluate the impacts of global change on European freshwater ecosystems, |
EU FP6 |
WP |
Euro-limpacs was an EU funded Framework 6 project concerned with the effects of climate change on freshwater systems (rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands). In particular the Project sought to understand the effects on these vulnerable ecosystems of the interactions between changing climate and other potentially damaging processes caused by changes in the physical characteristics of rivers, nutrient pollution, acidification and the deposition of toxic metals and organic pollutants. Euro-limpacs examined how these multiple effects impact on efforts to manage freshwater ecosystems, in particular the implication for meeting the requirements of legislation such as the Water Framework Directive and Habitats Directive. The Project finished in January 2009 after 5 years. REFRESH builds on the improved scientific understanding generated in Euro-limpacs to enable the successful implementation of adaptation strategies to combat the deleterious effects of climate change on freshwater ecosystems |
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31 |
REFRESH -: Adaptive Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Climate Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems |
EU FP 6 |
WP |
The key objective of REFRESH is to develop a framework that will enable water managers to design cost-effective restoration programmes for freshwater ecosystems. This will account for the expected future impacts of climate change and land-use. REFRESH will evaluate a series of specific adaptive measures that might be taken to minimise adverse consequences of climate change on freshwater quantity, quality and biodiversity. The focus is on three principal climate-related and interacting pressures; i) increasing temperature; ii) changes in water levels and flow regimes; and ii) excess nutrients. |
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32 |
Guide to Environmental Mainstreaming |
IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) |
WP |
IED has now developed a First Rough Draft of a “Guide to Environmental Mainstreaming”. Part 1 of this guide analyse the contextual issues (e.g. drivers and constraints) and institutional dimensions issues that frame environmental mainstreaming and provides a perspective on the key challenges. Part 2 discusses the broad range of mainstreaming approaches and tools that are best suited to particular challenges and decision-making tasks and provides guidance on when particular approaches might best be used. It also contains profiles of selected key approaches/tools to environmental mainstreaming. These are focused on those that are likely to be applicable in most countries and situations because they are legislative requirements, proven standard practice, and/or of broad applicability. |
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33 |
Mainstreaming Climate Change in National Development Processes and UN Country Programming |
UNDP |
WP |
UNDP provides policy and capacity development services on climate change to support developing countries to respond to climate change impacts and to integrate climate risks into national planning and UN programming. Through these services, UNDP supports national and sub-national governments to transform their development path to a low-emission and ecologically sustainable future. Mainstreaming (or integrating) climate change in planning and decision-making processes is a crucial tool to ensure climate change adaptation and poverty reduction are implemented hand-in-hand. This approach involves taking into account risks and opportunities while putting in place adaptation measures that are attuned to the long-term vision of development. Mainstreaming climate change into national policies, plans, and development projects contributes to: . reducing vulnerability to climate impacts and variability . increasing the adaptive capacity of communities and national activities facing climate impacts, and . ensuring sustainable development and avoiding decisions that will generate maladaptation. |
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34 |
Anticipated Impact of Climate Change in the Caucasian Region |
UNDP/GEF Kura-Aras Project |
RI |
UNDP/GEF Kura Aras Project presentations within ‘IWRM Academy’ providing overview of climate change understanding and impacts in the basin. Specific presentations prepared for each basin country based on material prepared for a basin-wide assessment of climate change building on the second national communication to UNFCCC. |
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35 |
EU Water Framework Directive Guidance document: RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING CLIMATE |
EU |
PG |
In the context of the WFD Common Implementation Strategy, an activity on Climate Change and Water was initiated in 2007 to produce guidance on how Member States should incorporate consideration of climate variability and change into the implementation of EU water policy. In 2008, the Water Directors discussed and agreed key policy messages on Climate Change and Water.1 These focused on the following topics: - EU water legislation and its ability to allow and support adaptation to climate change. - The importance of integration with other policies. - WFD and objective-setting under a changing climate. - How adaptation is addressed in the 1st RBMPs. - The role of adaptation in the 2nd and 3rd river basin management cycles. This EU guidance builds upon these policy messages and is a mentioned as a priority action in the EC's White Paper on Adapting to Climate Change (2009). It has been discussed with a wide range of stakeholders and experts in the framework of the Common Implementation Strategy, and it reflects the important role of water managers in adapting to climate change. This guidance intends to give support to river basin managers in incorporating climate change in the next river basin management cycles. Further work may be needed and will be undertaken in the Common Implementation Strategy. |
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36 |
Considerations for a Climate Change Monitoring Network in Rivers and Streams |
US EPA |
GT |
PPT on developing monitoring networks for rivers to detect impacts of change from climate change |
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37 |
Climate Resilience for Catchment Methods Guidance Tool |
UK EA |
GT |
This Guidance Tool allows practitioners to assess the likely resilience of river basin management measures to future climate conditions, providing quick and easy access to the climate resilience score of river basin management measures. Why would I need this Guidance Tool? • Understand how resilient measures are to changes in temperature and rainfall due to climate change. • Establish which measures are most likely to help reduce the more harmful effects of climate change on the hydrological cycle. • Implement appropriate adaptation responses within catchment management. The Guidance Tool is free to download. The download of the EA Climate Resilience of Catchment Methods Guidance Tool zip file places all the files necessary to use the tool in a directory. Please refer to the ‘Read me’ file first and be aware that on opening the main “GUIDANCE DOCUMENT” in Microsoft Excel, you will need to ensure macros are enabled. An icon is not created in the windows Start Menu or included on the desktop. Please note the information supplied in the zip file is for guidance purposes only and is not |
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38 |
Guidance on using the Wetland Toolkit for Climate Change. A contribution to the Wetland Vision Partnership. |
CEH/ UK EA |
GT |
This report provides guidance on how to use the Wetland Toolkit for Climate Change. More specifically, it guides the user in the application of tools developed to assess how climate change in the 2050s (2041-2070) might impact on wetland ecohydrology in England and Wales. The term ecohydrology is used because we have focused on the ecological and archaeological impacts of climate change through alteration of the freshwater hydrological cycle. For example, the tools do not cover any direct impacts of temperature or carbon dioxide changes on vegetation growth. The tools also exclude coastal wetlands that might be impacted through sea-level rise as a result of climate change; though such effects should be taken into account where relevant. This guidance and the tools it supports are designed to be used by anyone concerned with the impacts of climate change on wetlands. It is anticipated that the main users will be site managers concerned with the eco-hydrological status of their wetlands. However, it will also be useful for broader scale river corridor analysis, river basin planning, local interests and academic studies. |
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39 |
ICPDR |
AM |
This strategy was developed to assist the Danube River Basin Countries meet the needs of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Danube River Basin Management Plan. The Strategy was developed on the basis of expert collaboration in reviewing the climate change scenarios for the basin (including temperature, precipitation extreme events) and evaluating the potential impacts across the basin. The Strategy also presents an approach for dealing with uncertainty in the estimates. |
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40 |
UNDP/GEF |
PG |
TDA |
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41 |
ICPDR UNDP/GEF |
PG |
UNDP has been supporting an international initiative to develop an integratedriver basin management plan for the Tisza River Basin to address problems of pollution, floods and droughts to assist the countries of the basin improve their shared environment and livelihoods. Over the last 150 years, most of the natural wetlands and floodplains within the Tisza River Basin have been lost through land reclamation for agriculture or developments or flood defence schemes. These natural riverine features offer multiple benefits such as retaining harmful levels of nutrient pollution, buffering flood waters and improving biodiversity. By developing an integrated management plan, linking issues of land and water management together with concerns of water quantity and quality, the countries are better equipped to address regional issues affecting the river and developing approaches to mitigate the impacts of varying climate and extreme events. For too long the often competing requirements of land management (agriculture, forestry, urban development) have not been involved in helping to develop and implement strategies for water management – which in return can lead, for example, to reduced flood damage to economically and socially important areas. The management plan was developed by the five Tisza countries in collaboration with UNDP, the GEF, European Union, Carpathian Convention and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River. It has assessed all the main problems in the basin and made recommendations – including the concept of making space for water leading to the restoration of wetlands and floodplains. The development of the plan adopted an innovative approach involving both top-down (ministry experts) and bottom-up (local communities) working across the five countries to develop and test new concepts to land and water management leading to improved environment for the population of the whole basin. The management plan has been endorsed by ministers from the Tisza counties at a recent meeting in Uzghorod (Ukraine) with the on-going challenge of implementing the demanding expectations of the plan and the citizens of the region. UNDP, in collaboration with the GEF, has been working in the Tisza River Basin (the largest tributary of the Danube River) for 20 years. |
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42 |
Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change (GRAPHIC) |
UNESCO |
WP |
GRAPHIC is a UNESCO-led project, seeking to improve our understanding of how groundwater interacts within the global water cycle, how it supports ecosystems and humankind and, in turn, responds to complex and coupled pressures of human activity and climate change. GRAPHIC was developed to successfully achieve these objectives within a global context and represents a collaborative effort that serves as an umbrella for international research and education. Through a variety of case studies, GRAPHIC outlines areas of international research, covering major geographical regions, groundwater resource topics, and methods to help advance the knowledge required to address both the scientific and social aspects of this field. GRAPHIC promotes and advances sustainable groundwater management considering projected climate change and linked human effects. GRAPHIC provides a platform for the exchange of information through case studies, thematic working groups, scientific research, and communication. GRAPHIC serves the global community by providing scientifically-based and policy-relevant recommendations. GRAPHIC uses regional and global networks to improve the capacity to manage groundwater resources. |
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43 |
UNFCCC bibliography on mainstreaming climate change |
UNFCCC |
WP |
Bibliography of information sources on: Mainstreaming climate changeaddressing:
Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change:
Mainstreaming climate change at the sectoral level
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| 44 | Global Historic Climatological Network (CHCN) | NOAA (USA) |
WP DS GT |
GHCN (Global Historical Climatology Network)-Daily is an integrated database of daily climate summaries from land surface stations across the globe. GHCN-Daily is comprised of daily climate records from numerous sources that have been integrated and subjected to a common suite of quality assurance reviews. GHCN-Daily now contains records from over 75000 stations in 180 countries and territories. Numerous daily variables are provided, including maximum and minimum temperature, total daily precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth; however, about two thirds of the stations report precipitation only. Both the record length and period of record vary by station and cover intervals ranging from less than year to more than 175 years. The dataset is regularly reconstructed (usually every weekend) from its 20-plus data source components to ensure that GHCN-Daily is generally in sync with its growing list of constituent sources. During this process, quality assurance checks are applied to the full dataset. On most weekdays, GHCN-Daily station data are updated when possible from a variety of data streams, which also undergo a suite of quality checks. |
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| 45 | Global Change Master Directory | NASA |
WP DS GT |
External Link | A web portal offering Global Data Sets and tools |
| 46 | NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) | NASA |
WP DS GT |
A web portal offering data sets, tools and other sources of information (e.g. climate change simulations, earth observations, climate drivers, etc.) | |
| 47 | IPPC Data Distribution Centre | IPPC |
WP GT |
External Link | A web portal offering links to models and data |
| 48 | UNDP Climate profiles (hosted through University of Oxford, UK) | UNDP |
WP DS GT |
External Link |
These country-level climate data summaries are intended to address the climate change information gap for developing countries by making use of existing climate data to generate a series of country-level studies of climate observations and the multi-model projections made available through the WCRP CMIP3. A consistent approach has been applied for 52 developing countries in order to produce an 'off the shelf' analysis of climate data, and also make available the underlying data for each country for use in further research. For each of the 52 countries, a report contains a set of maps and diagrams demonstrating the observed and projected climates of that country as country average time series as well as maps depicting changes on a 2.5° grid and summary tables of the data. A narrative summarises the data in the figures, and placing it in the context of the country's general climate. |
