Spatial sensitivity of national climate adaptation policies in Eastern-Central Europe : first results of national comparative studies

Abstract

There is a strong link between climate adaptation and the geographic space: cli-mate change impacts differ from region to region, and its spatial consequences require appropriate, region-specific adaptation responses. It is important to plan these measures in a spatially conscious way and to monitor their effectiveness, spatially varying impacts and adaptation results. The question arises whether spa-tial/territorial characteristics are adequately taken into account in adaptation po-licy activities, especially at national level, which spatial scale has so far received less attention in the literature than the local level. To investigate this topic, a new concept of spatial sensitivity and its applicability in adaptation policy is intro-duced and its role and extent in national adaptation planning and MRE activities in European countries is analysed by the research. The aim of the paper is to pro-vide a brief overview of the research results to date, including the methodological background. The paper concludes with the first empirical results of the analysis for the Eastern-Central European region: that adaptation policy and planning are growing in importance in many countries, but the related monitoring/assessment activities and the emergence of spatial considerations in these and in planning itself are still in their early stages.JEL-codes: Q5, Q54, Q58, R58