CLIMSAVE

The overall aim of the CLIMSAVE project is to deliver an integrated methodology to assess cross-sectoral climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. It will put science in the service of stakeholders and policy-makers by providing a common platform for an improved integrated assessment of climate change impacts, vulnerability and related cost-effective adaptation measures covering key sectors in Europe. There are six specific objectives:

1. To analyse the policy and governance context for adaptation.
2. To construct an integrated assessment platform for interactive simulation of impacts and vulnerability at multiple scales including linkages and feedbacks between key sectors.
3. To apply an innovative methodology for participatory scenario development specifically geared towards effectively integrating stakeholder input into climate change impact and adaptation assessment.
4. To analyse the cost-effectiveness of adaptation strategies under climate uncertainty.
5. To identify vulnerability hotspots through metrics of impacts and adaptive capacity across sectors.
6. To investigate impact uncertainties to inform robust policy options.

CLIMSAVE is a pan-European project that has developed an integrated assessment approach that enables stakeholders to explore and understand the cross-sectoral benefits and conflicts of different adaptation options to better inform the development of robust policy responses. The main findings were:

• The CLIMSAVE Integrated Assessment (IA) Platform; a unique user-friendly, interactive web-based tool that enables European stakeholders to explore the complex multi-sectoral issues surrounding impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate and socio-economic change across Europe within the agriculture, forest, biodiversity, coast, water and urban sectors.
• A range of climate change scenarios, incorporated into the IA Platform to allow users to explore the effects of climate change uncertainties on impacts and vulnerabilities.
• Four contrasting socio-economic storylines; developed in a series of participatory workshops by European stakeholders and quantified to be included in the IA platform.
• A broad range of adaptation options to address the impacts of climate change in Europe in the IA Platform
• A Mapping of vulnerability hotspots
• A review of adaptation and mitigation measures