Expected Results

1) Understanding future climate and weather patterns: strengthening national capacities to understand climate change and climate change related risks in the region through improvement of the information base.

Deliverables:

  • Development of high resolution, localised, bias corrected scenarios for the whole target region  by the Institute of Meteorology and Climatology of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU-Met). Detailed information can be found under Climate Scenarios and Training Materials.

  • Development of an easy to handle program for bias correction that allow the integration of additional local observations by BOKU-Met. Detailed information can be found under Climate Scenarios and Training Materials.

  • Summer school and local workshops (roadshow) on the use of localized climate change scenarios and the production of improved scenarios on local areas with additional meteorological observations by BOKU-Met

2) Planning for the future climate and weather patterns: strengthening national capacities to integrate climate change projections, climate proofing and green infrastructure in infrastructure development on a national and regional level.

Deliverables:

  • Assessment of climate change adaptation policies and EIA and SEA procedures in place in the countries of the WB region in collaboration with EURAC research (see regional Focus Reports, in total six, one for each sub-region)

  • Enhanced technical capacity of relevant national stakeholders to effectively respond to climate change related risks through climate proofing measures, including green infrastructure; and to integrate climate change projections and climate proofing measures into infrastructure development, in accordance with EU best practices (see summer school, regional workshops and ClimaProof workshop March 2020)

  • Guidelines on integrating climate change in EIA and SEA procedures, developed by EURAC research contribution by Boku-Met
    (see Training Materials)

  • Improved awareness of- both relevant stakeholders and general public- climate change impacts on road infrastructure, including increased resilience options such as green infrastructure

3) Building infrastructure adapted to the future climate and weather patterns: creating an enabling environment for regional cooperation and investments in climate resilient infrastructure in the Western Balkans.

Deliverables:

  • Regional strategy for climate resilient infrastructure development, followed with an action plan identifying concrete climate proofing measures, including green infrastructure;

  • Enhanced national capacities for replicating EU best practices regarding financing and economic instruments for climate proofing and green infrastructure

  • Guidelines on EU best practices on economic instruments;

  • Fund-raising mechanism for climate resilient infrastructure development in the WB region;

  • Evaluation mechanism for projects integrating climate proofing and green infrastructure;

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries will be 200 trained individuals from the relevant countries. Decision-makers, experts from relevant ministries, in charge of environmental affairs and infrastructure but also economic development, emergencies, transport, industry and foreign affairs, national hydro-meteorological institutes, nature protection agencies (where present), local government representatives, universities, research institutes and civil society. With 200 directly trained officials, who will then be requested to train 4 more colleagues through a peer-to- peer approach, it is estimated that the project will result in 800 trained officials. Further, up to 1000 stakeholder from international organizations, private sector, research institutions and civil society organizations will benefit from access to information and improved participation in decision making. Indirect beneficiaries will be the population of the recipient countries, due to a safer, more resilient and reliable infrastructure.