ALM UNDP

Summary:

The following country profile is found in the Meister Consultants Group study: Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World.

Summary

In Spain, climate change will most likely lead to water scarcity and rising temperatures. The Ministry of the Environment published a national adaptation plan in 2006, intending to improve the coordination and integration of the climate adaptation measures. In addition to action at the national level, many nongovernmental organizations, municipal governments, and individual companies have implemented adaptation measures. Addressing water scarcity is especially important, and the country has already adopted an action plan to combat desertification (p. 44).

Country Profile

Important expected affects of climate change in Spain will be water shortage and increasing temperatures. Spain is one of the European countries that will be most affected by an increased frequency of droughts.

Temperatures in Spain are expected to increase more than in many other European countries.70 Scenarios predict a temperature rise of up to 7°C in the summer and up to 4°C during the winter by the year 2100. The strongest temperature increases are expected for the summer month, resulting in an increase frequency of heat waves.

Overall, it is likely that water will become scarcer. Water resources are expected to fall by 22 percent. At the same time, water quality will also worsen. The increase in temperature and decrease in water supply will aggravate desertification, leading to a loss of biodiversity. Today, almost 40 percent of Spain’s land area is threatened by desertification. In the future, up to two-thirds could be at risk.

These projected climate changes pose serious economic challenges for Spain. Water scarcity, erosion, and desertification hamper the productivity of agriculture. As in other countries, forestry is threatened by forest fires, increased pest attacks, and drought.

Tourism, an important economic sector in Spain, is also seriously affected by climate change. The main risks are extreme heat, water scarcity, and rising sea level, which threaten coastlines, beaches and infrastructure.74

In the energy sector, demand patterns will change. Demand for cooling during the summer months is expected to increase, while demand for heating in winter could decrease. Demand for space cooling could rise by up to 50% by the 2080s.75

Public health will also be affected by an increased spread of certain diseases. Other challenges are the health impacts of heat waves and extreme weather events.

Strategy and Actors

In 2006, the National Adaptation Plan (Plan Nacional de Adaptación al Cambio Climático) was passed. The goal of the plan is to integrate the activities of local and national administrations into one comprehensive cross-sector program. The plan describes the areas and guidelines for impact assessments, risk evaluations, and adaptation measures. It was developed by the national Commission for Climate Change. Relevant industry sectors, as well as the general public, were consulted in the process. The implementation of the plan is coordinated by the Spanish climate change office, Oficina Española de Cambio Climático (OECC), which reports directly to the Minister for the Environment. OECC also designs the national climate policy and supports the implementation. The department Adaptation and Impacts of Climate Change proposes activities for climate monitoring and impact assessment. It also coordinates adaptation activities, and fosters the integration of the latter in sector-specific policies

Source: Dr. Hans-Peter Meister, I. K., Martina Richwein, Wilson Rickerson, Chad Laurent. Additional contributors: Jeff Snell, Elisa Burchert, Florian Lux. (2009). Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World. Boston: Meister Consultants Group. p. 44-46.