Clim-ATIC Workpackage 5 : Establish a Northern Periphery Community Climate Change Adaptation Information, Training, and Advice Service

Clim-ATIC Business plan now available for download

Objectives

WP5’s objectives are the creation of a service operating in as many Northern Periphery regions as possible which

- identifies and synthesises relevant information from Clim-ATIC WPs 2 , 3, and 4 and other sources;

- develops short courses for local administrations, businesses, and community organisations, and teachers (initially in English but later in local languages);

- delivers these courses to these targeted audiences in their local languages; and

- provides consultancy services to local administrations and businesses, and advice to community groups, including information on possible funding sources for developing and implementing adaptation strategies and actions.

All five participating regions will be involved in this work package.  In addition, project contacts from Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, southwest Scotland, and the Faeroes will be invited to take part. Ideas for the service will be developed through presentation of the concept and discussions/workshops at relevant meetings and discussions will also be held with national-level and European organisations with a focus on climate change, sustainable development, or both

Activity to date

Activity towards this goal began at the project kick-off meeting in May 2008 with initial workshops with project partners to identify who the potential customers of this service would be, what they would want to get from such a service, and how best it could be provided.  At the workshop, an initial list of existing structures/organisations within the Northern Periphery which compile information about climate change, impacts, and adaptations, and offer related educational provision and consulting services was compiled. A grid was produced by all partners by the end of November. This brought together much current information on sources of climate change data and adaptation information, and also possible organisations, institutions and structures that may support the delivery of the proposed service.

In February 2009, the Steering group approved the development of an online questionnaire as a key part of the ongoing feasibility study. The survey was translated into 7 languages and put on-line on 7th May 2009.  A total of 272 responses, from all NPP countries/regions, were obtained; critically, 179 provided contact details for follow up.  The analysed results were presented to the University of the Arctic in Kiruna 10-14th August, and discussed at the 3-day meeting of the steering group on 22nd-24th September 2009. The results of the feasibility study identified a wide range of issues, not least of all a requirement to further engage with existing and developing national organisations throughout the Northern Periphery with a remit to support adaptation activities at the regional level. In addition, discussions between Martin Price and the European Environment Agency (EEA) had drawn attention to the fact that the European Commission had tasked the EEA to develop a climate change clearinghouse, which was clearly of relevance to Clim-ATIC.

Recognising that our next stage was to develop a business plan, the project steering group made two key decisions at a meeting on 23rd September 2009 to obtain crucial information for the proposed business plan:

1. We would host an international workshop with 2 representatives from each NPP country – one representing the information providers at a national level, one representing the information users at a municipality/local authority level. 
2. We would conduct a follow up survey with all 179 people who gave email addresses in the survey, to find out more from them through specific questions on what their requirements would be on future training – content, method of delivery, qualifications and costs – throughout November 2009.

Following both these activities a draft framework for the business plan has been produced. The detailed version, which will include an implementation stage until February 2011, as well as an operational stage for the following 5 years.

Proposed Activity to February 2011

Workshop on outreach and co-operation in climate change adaptation

17 February 2010: 9.00 to 17.00, European Environment Agency,  Kongens Nytorv 6, 1050 Copenhagen K, Denmark

Aims of the workshop

Recognising that many relevant services (which may also include initiatives, activities etc.) exist in the various countries/regions in the NPP area, the aims of this workshop are to present and discuss:

a)    relevant existing (and, possibly, planned) services  at three levels of knowledge transfer: dissemination (web platforms, portals, etc.); training (courses, etc.); and consultancy/advice;

b)    needs for such services (including content, means of delivery, and audiences) in partner regions and various institutions; 

c)    possible synergies, including those with the European clearinghouse mechanism on adaptation to climate change, which the European Commission has given European Environment Agency (EEA) the task of taking forward. 

In addition to raising awareness of current/planned activities and possible synergies, a key outcome of the workshop for the Clim-ATIC project will be to provide a basis for defining an appropriate approach to fulfilling its overall objective, which could be through the establishment of a new structure/network and/or the effective linkage of current/planned activities.

In addition to the EEA and the Clim-ATIC project, participants in the meeting are from two groups: 1) those responsible for relevant services and 2) those representing associations of local/regional authorities in their respective countries in the Northern Periphery, as the key audience for those services in their role of supporting communities to adapt the climate change.