Was macht das Umweltbundesamt?

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Experiences and Approaches Related to Adaptation
- AUSTRIA

• Working Together to Respond to Climate Change
• Seminar of the AIXG on the UNFCCC
• Paris, 21-22 March 2005
• Klaus Radunsky

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Overview

• Introduction
• Adaptation
• flood risk management
• Forest management
• Grassland management
• Cropland management
• Tourism (avalanches, snow cover)
• lessons learned

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Introduction

• Significant increase in average temperature from
  1900 to 1990s
• 1.5o C yearly average
• 1.5o C to 2.0o C during winter
• 1.0o C during summer
• expected temperature increase by 2050 2o C to
  3o C
• Significant increase in GHG emissions at an
  average rate of 0.9/a over the last 13 years
• no coherent and effective adaptation regime
• some extreme weather events with significant
  impacts and already visible impacts of climate
  change that raise concerns

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Adaptation - Flood risk management (1)

• Challenge
• Flood in August 2002, with return periods of
  2,000 to 10,000 years in some regions
• 9 people died, economic loss 3 Bio (1 of
  GDP)
• current level of flood protection designed for
  return periods of 30 and 100 years

• Measures
• investigation on the possible contribution of
  climate change (but it became evident that the
  high damage was also due to other factors)

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Adaptation - Flood risk management (2)

• Additional measures
• stricter implementation of integrated flood risk
  management (combining aspects of Meteorology,
  Hydrology and actual construction measures like
  dams with land-use planning, legal aspects and
  warning- and evacuation measures),
• measures to limit damage in case of flood
  (mandatory structural measures in buildings, e.g.
  no oil tanks in regions with risk),
• speeding up the preparation, completion and
  updating of hazard zone plans,
• improvements in disaster management (e.g.
  improved training for disaster protection
  administrators, standardization of flood alarm
  plans, improving the coordination of the relevant
  plans of the public authorities),
• raising of public awareness

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Adaptation forest management

• Challenge
• long life time (80-120 years)
• damage by insects is spreading to higher
  elevations
• storms (wind speeds gt 160/170 km/h result in
  area-wide damage)
• Draught, if global T increases above 2o C

• Measures
• establish forests as close to the (potential)
  natural forests as practical (nature-conforming
  forestry)
• Need for further research

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Adaptation grassland management

• Challenge
• summer 2003 significant damage by draught
• Little awareness about
• future damage
• Measures
• limited to buy hay
• No infrastructure for irrigation

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Adaptation cropland management

• Challenge
• change in precipitation pattern (drought)
• local extreme weather events (floods, hail,
  storms)
• Measures
• improved water management
• use of more drought resistant crops
• insurance

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Adaptation in tourism - avalanches (1)

• Challenge
• avalanches in Feb 1999 Galtür (Tyrol)
• 31 people died
• Measures
• 2002 ALPS Centre for Natural Hazard Management
  was founded
• issues natural hazard management (debris flows,
  landslides, rock falls, avalanches)
• goal develop new strategies, technologies,
  systems to improve the handling of natural
  hazards and to evaluate present and future
  potential hazards
• 1st meeting (January 2004) expert meeting on
  climate impacts for Tyrol
• See http//www.alp-s.at/v2/en/

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Adaptation in tourism - avalanches (2)

• Additional measures
• Improved modeling and data assessment
• development of natural hazard scenarios (focus
  alpine region)
• development of risk-oriented approaches for
  structural engineering, technical forest
  planning, development planning and short-term
  measures (e.g. improved disaster management - is
  planned in Tyrol to be fully operational by 2006)
  

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Adaptation tourism (artificial snow)

• Challenge reduced snow cover at elevationlt1500m
• Measures
• artificial snow (9200 ha or 40 of total)
• investment costs in winter 2003/04 176 Mio
• significant water and power consumption (4000 m3
  water per ha 25000 kWh per ha)
• future artificial snow will be extended to 90
  of total
• meteorological experts artificial snow may not
  work in the future due to further temperature
  increase

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Lessons learned (1)

• Austria reluctant to be proactive on adaptation
  (top down approach) although more vulnerable
  compared to many other countries (high share of
  the alpine region (70 of the land is higher than
  500m))
• significant damage from extreme weather events or
  already visible impacts (reduction in snow cover)
  triggered significant investments and short as
  well as long term measures (bottom up approach)
• large and growing adaptation deficit
• international efforts and co-operation could help
  to get on the right track and begin to address
  the deficit more effectively
• Goal should be development of a more coherent
  and operational adaptation regime
• climate risk assessment should become common
  practice for many activities

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Lessons learned (2)

• Hurdles for a coherent and effective adaptation
  regime
• lack of awareness (e.g. of stakeholders in
  industry, the general public),
• lack of information on climate vulnerabilities,
  impacts and ways and means to adapt,
• lack of resources at the MoE to start information
  process,
• lack of willingness to raise the profile of
  adaptation and to prepare for a public debate on
  climate change issues.
• Work at the OECD and under the UNFCCC may help to
  overcome national hurdles.