climate change in loulé development of a municipal adaptation strategy cm-loule.pt cm-loule.pt Project Technical File Index Iniciative FCT-UNL – Faculty of Science and Technology, Foreword 4 Municipal Council of Loulé University Nova of Lisbon UA - University of Aveiro Introduction 6 Title ICETA/CIBIO – University of the Azores Climate Change in Loulé Framework 8 Development of a Municipal Adaptation Strategy Edition Climate change: The threat and the challenge 10 Author Municipal Council of Loulé Strategic Vision – Loulé Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Municipal Council of Loulé Graphic Design and Page Layout Strategy (Loulé MCCAS) 11 Internal Coordination Triplesky, Branding Agency Objectives Municipal Directorate of General Administration Archive and Planning Municipal Council of Loulé MCCAS Methodology 12 Internal Technical Team Printing and Binding Climate change in the municipality of Loulé 14 Inês Rafael (Environment, Public Spaces and Tecnicromo - Artes Gráficas Transport Division) Climate projections Lídia Terra (Planning, Geographical Information and No. of Copies Impacts and vulnerabilities Land Registration Division) 500 Loulé MCCAS adaptation options to climate change 20 External Technical Team (ClimAdaPT.Local Project Team) Legal Deposit Municipal best practice 22 FFCUL - Faculty of Science Foundation, University of 414346/16 Lisbon ISBN How to help fight climate change? 29 CEDRU – Centre for Urban and Regional Development 978-972-9064-63-0 Adaptation in day to day life Studies More information about adaptation WE CONSULTANTS Date of Publication (month/year) 09/2016 QUERCUS – Portuguese National Association for Nature Glossary 34 Conservation No. of Edition For more information... 36 ICS – Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon 1st Edition Acronyms 36 4 5 Since the beginning of the current term of office What then is to be done? we have endeavored to make current major issues, which constitute themselves as political Quoting Pope Francis in his Encyclical “Laudato management concerns, an object of study, Si”, for climate to be “a common good, debate and knowledge in order to better deal belonging to all and meant for all” we surely with the near future. have a contribution to make. This approach has been adopted for issues So, whether it is at a global, national or municipal Foreword scale it is essential to establish a strategy to adapt related to energy efficiency, mobility and the management and use of natural resources but to impact resulting from climate change and for also, and in particular, for those related to it to safeguard our entire human, natural, and climate change. material heritage. This last issue gained a new expression and Loulé Municipal Climate Change Adaptation greater public exposure with the participation Strategy [MCCAS] is a step in that direction and, of Loulé Town Council in an international being at the forefront, it is also a decisive element consortium in the scope of the ClimaAdapt for us to prepare ourselves to meet the challenges project, which involves municipalities, the future always brings. universities and companies, among others. The systematization and intervention as a result The issue of global warming is now a reality, of the implementation of MCCAS, that will as well as a cause for concern that cannot be interfere in our collective life as well as at the ignored and to which we are certainly territorial management level, leads us to the not immune. understanding of this new climate dynamic and is extremely important for the development of Closely associated with this phenomenon is the sectoral public policies dealing with minimizing occurrence of extreme weather events, which the risks derived from extreme climate events cause all manner of consequences: economic, and to which the strategy gives voice. social, environmental and even health. In fact, droughts, heatwaves, floods, wildfires, Mayor of Loulé and heavy rainfall, among others of the so called extreme weather events, have been wreaking … it is essential to establish havoc around the globe and also among us. a strategy to adapt to impact resulting from climate change and for it Municipal Council of Loulé Vitor Aleixo to safeguard all our human, natural, and material heritage.” Climate Change in Loulé Introduction 6 7 WHAT DOES ADAPTATION MEAN? Loulé Municipal Council considers climate change to be one of the Adaptation is the process of most important challenges of the 21st century. The development adjustment in response to actual of the Loulé Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (Loulé or expected climate and its effects. MCCAS), started in January 2015 within the scope of ClimAdapt. In human systems, adaptation seeks Local project, intends to promote a coherent response to the various to moderate or avoid harm as well problems related to climate change throughout the municipal as to exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, human territory, and seeks to place Loulé Municipal Council at the nationwide intervention may facilitate forefront in these matters. adjustment to expected climate and its effects (IPCC, 2014b). Amongst other changes, the climate projections for the Municipal Council of Loulé point to a potential reduction in total annual precipitation and to the potential increase of temperatures, in particular maximums from spring to autumn, intensifying the occurrence of hotter and drier summers. An increase in the frequency of heatwaves, as well as the occurrence of events of very intense precipitation concentrated in short periods of time, is also predicted. Despite the uncertainties related to the effects at local level, the projection of a continuous relative rise in sea level may bring new challenges in the coastal areas of the municipality. These climate projections may cause a series of impacts on the Thus, and wherever possible, the municipality will promote the municipal territory as well as on its natural and human systems. adoption of adaptive options that also promote the mitigation Even when there are planned options of adaptation to meet future and encourage ‘the correct planning and development of climate scenarios, there will always be climate risks that will affect the resilient, competitive and low-carbon society and economy’, municipality in different aspects, such as environmental, social, as recommended in the National Strategy of Climate Change and economic effects. Adaptation 2020 (NSCCA 2020). Loulé MCCAS is focused on the identification of options and planned adaptation measures aiming at mitigating the impact of climate change. This MCCAS will be an instrument to be revised and updated, based on the evolution of scientific knowledge and the practices of adaptation to climate change. Being the first strategy of its kind in the municipality, it is intended to be a starting point for continuous mitigation adaptation development of coherent territorial and environmental policies, To respond to based on the needs of the different population groups and economic Preventing the impacts of sectors, and that will help enhance the municipality’s resilience to the climate change climate change impacts of climate change and of those who live here or visit us. Municipal Council of Loulé Although this MCCAS is more focused on questions related to adaptability, Loulé council recognizes that it is also necessary to adopt mitigating responses, amongst other actions, that may promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change Climate Change in Loulé Framework 8 9 The municipality of Loulé is located in the south of mainland Portugal, in the Algarve region. It has an area of approximately 764.39 km² and 70,622 inhabitants1, making it the largest Loulé municipality in the region by both area and population. It has an average population density of 92.4 people per sq. km, in line with the population density of the region (90.3 people per sq. km). As far as territorial units are concerned, the municipality covers 3 distinct areas (from the south to the north, including coastline, crags and hills), thus presenting a diversity of territorial, heritage, landscape, ecological, and environmental features, which constitute important and unique advantages. The municipality is administratively divided into 9 parishes (Almancil, Alte, Ameixial, Boliqueime, Quarteira, Salir, São Clemente (Loulé), São Sebastião (Loulé) and the parish aggregation of Querença, Tôr and Benafim), has its seat in the city of Loulé. It is the only municipality in the Algarve region with two cities, Loulé and Quarteira. Location 70.622 inhabitants Given its privileged central location in the region, Loulé is well-served in terms of accessibility, both by road (A22, EN/ER-125, ER-270) and South of Portugal Average population density: rail networks, as well as by its proximity to Faro International Airport, Region Algarve 92.4 people per sq. km which makes it an attractive municipality in which to invest, live, Municipality of Loulé work and visit. Seat of the Municipality: Moreover, the municipality of Loulé boasts 10 beaches, providing City of Loulé users with excellent conditions for bathing, the Ria Formosa Natural Park, the largest and most important wetland in the Algarve. Loulé municipality It also comprises Rocha da Pena and Fonte Benémola Protected promotional video Landscape areas, with around 54% of the municipal land covered by Natura 2000 network. Due to its geographic location, the municipality of Loulé has a Territorial