Submitted by andrea on Tue, 2009-10-20 08:38
Found in:
  • Type of Research or Publication: Report
View the full country profile for Croatia
Author(s):
Branković, Čedo – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Bray, John – Public opinion (Ch 2); Callaway, John – Vulnerability assessment (Ch 4 – 11); Dulčić, Jakov – Vulnerability in fisheries/ mariculture (Ch 8); Gajić-Čapka, Marjana – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Glamuzina, Branko – Vulnerability in fisheries/ mariculture (Ch 8); Heim, Inge – Health impacts (Ch 9); Japec, Lidija – Vulnerable groups (Ch 10); Kalinski, Vladimir – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Vulnerability in tourism (Ch 6); Vulnerability in the coastal zone (Ch 7); Landau, Seth – General coordination, Mitigation costs (Ch 12), Mitigation activities (Ch 13); Legro, Susan – Team Leader, Vulnerable groups (Ch 10), Conclusions (Ch 14); OIKON Ltd. Institute for Applied Ecology – Vulnerability in the coastal zone (Ch 7); Ortl, Friderik – Statistical annex; Patarčić, Mirta – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Srnec, Lidija – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Šimleša, Dražen – Public opinion (Ch 2); Zaninović, Ksenija – Croatian climate (Ch 3); Health impacts (Ch 9); Znaor, Darko – Vulnerability in agriculture (Ch 4); Vulnerability in water (Ch 5); Mitigation costs (Ch 12)
Year:
2009
Editor:
Seth Landau, Susan Legro, Sandra Vlašić
City:
Zagreb, Croatia
Publisher:
UNDP Croatia
Pages:
282
Summary:
Summary

This publication is a breakthrough report for the country and the first of its kind, globally following new analysis released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is a fact that the climate is changing and the consequences of that change are already being felt all over the globe. Croatia is not an exception. The Report accounts for and quantifies the damages in several sectors of the Croatian economy over the past several years as a result of climate variability. It demonstrates that climate is already a critical factor in development in Croatia, and climate change may have profound impacts on the country.

For the full report: A Climate for Change - Climate change and its impacts on society and economy in Croatia

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. The 2007/2008 Global Human Development Report (HDR) demonstrated that climate change is taking place and that actions must be taken to reduce its impacts and reduce the extent of that change. Impacts from climate change – caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere – are expected to lead to a myriad of problems that will affect human development. Negative impacts may include damage from more frequent natural disasters and sea-level rise, strains on food production, harm to human health and many other problems. If left unaddressed, climate change in Croatia may restrict people's choices, slow down or undermine development gains and have a negative impact on human development in general.

What is Croatia's role in addressing climate change? Croatia is currently on its way to becoming a European Union (EU) member state, which will bring opportunities and challenges for human development. Croatia is globally ranked 45th in terms of UNDP's Human Development Index. As such, it is among the upper tier of middle-income countries. Within Croatia there are many economic sectors that could be very vulnerable to climate change. The agricultural sector has already shown significant vulnerability to climate variability in recent years, experiencing severe damage from drought, floods and hail. Furthermore, sectors such as fishing and mariculture, electricity production from hydropower and seaside tourism are all linked directly to climate. How might climate change affect human development in Croatia? Will there be any positive impacts?

In addition to addressing the impact of climate change, Croatia will have to reduce its own emissions as part of the global effort to prevent disastrous climate change. Croatia is not a major emitter of GHGs, with approximately 6.94 tonnes per person in 2006 (excluding land use changes). This is compared to an average of 11.5 tonnes per person in 2004, among all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. However, Croatia's emissions are rising, and the country's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and those resulting from forthcoming European Union (EU) membership, may be a limiting factor in the future. The Government will have to decide the manner by which it will reduce its emissions. Can/should Croatia be part of the effort to reduce emissions by at least 20% by 2020? What would that cost Croatian citizens?

This National Human Development Report (NHDR) takes the global discussion about climate change and brings it to the local level.

Leading Organization:
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
External Resources:
Human Development Reports
Human Development Reports - Croatia
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