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Description
This project proposal aims to promote adaptation to climate change, prevention and risk management. The ambition is to integrate adaptation into the day-to-day functioning of municipal administrations. Local authorities need to be strategically prepared and with the appropriate expertise to ensure and support adaptation actions. All partner municipalities have strategic development plans that focus to varying degrees on the challenges of mitigating and adapting to the negative effects of climate change. It is crucial to improve the capacity of municipalities to review and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategic plans and the measures already taken to identify gaps in climate action. Therefore, the project aims to prepare the six partner municipalities to evaluate their strategic plans and programs, as well as the already implemented climate actions. To help them take a new strategic step towards applying the latest knowledge and experience in the field of climate action in the field of transport. To achieve them, an integrated approach was used, which includes a set of activities of various types and modes of impact. A series of trainings, research and borrowing of good practices from donor countries will improve the capacity of local authorities to plan socially acceptable policies related to adaptation, implementation of measures to prevent or minimize the damage that can cause climate change. To mitigate and adapt to the specific impact of climate change on the territories with developed maritime tourism, an innovative, demonstration model will be applied on the territory of the partner municipalities: a "Black Sea Corridor for Electromobility" will be built, which will lead to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Summary of project results
Main objective: Increasing the capacity of partner municipalities to assess their strategic and planning documents in terms of planned and implemented activities leading to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation, with the aim of improved planning and implementation of new strategic actions to introduce good practices, including from donor countries, for adaptation to climate change.
Specific objectives:
- Providing training for specialists from the six partner municipalities to review and assess the effectiveness of the existing strategic plans and the climate measures contained therein, and in planning measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change
- Developing and implementing measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the field of transport in the territory of the partner municipalities
- Improving cooperation by disseminating good practices from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein in the field of adaptation to climate change at the local level
- Increasing the capacity of local communities to reduce emissions by developing Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Plans for the partner municipalities under the project.
The partner municipalities are located along the entire length of the Black Sea coast, where the international road connecting Northern and Central Europe with Asia passes. Due to the lack of a highway, it passes through the settlements of the Black Sea municipalities, including resort towns and complexes.
•Purchased electric cars - 6 pcs.
• Mounted charging stations for electric cars - 6 pcs.
• Installed solar panels - 6 pcs.
The main target group of the project are the employees of the partner municipalities: Kavarna, Dolni Chiflik, Byala, Dalgopol, Nessebar and Primorsko. The project activities are entirely aimed at increasing the capacity of the partner municipalities Kavarna, Dolni Chiflik, Byala, Dalgopol, Nessebar and Primorsko to assess their strategic plans and programs in terms of planned and implemented actions leading to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the expected adverse effects of climate change.
Target stakeholders in the project can be classified as follows: Stakeholders at national level: Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW), Executive Environment Agency; Stakeholders at regional level:
- Association of Bulgarian Black Sea Municipalities (ABCO)
- RIEW - Varna, RIEW - Burgas
- Black Sea Region Basin Directorate
- The regional governors of Varna, Dobrich and Burgas
Local stakeholders:
- Municipalities
- Local business in the territory of the partner municipalities
- NGOs working in the field of environmental protection
- Media
- The general public
The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and the Action Plan envisage the MoEW to coordinate and support the integration of climate change adaptation measures in the current and forthcoming cycles of policy development and action planning within the competences of the respective ministries and the local authorities. This justifies the choice of the Ministry and its territorial subdivisions as stakeholders under the current project proposal at national and regional level, respectively. The installed charging stations for electric vehicles with solar panels on the territory of the six partner municipalities will continue to be used after the completion of the project, both by the local population and by tourists visiting the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Municipal administrations will continue to seek funding to expand the infrastructure of charging stations. The developed mobile application will be supplemented by the IT expert after the completion of the project activities. The purchased electric cars will be used for different needs of the municipalities - in the field of social activities, education, culture, etc.
The plans developed for the six municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change will contain the framework, with specific measures for adaptation to climate change, which will be implemented by 2030.
After the completion of the project, the Communication Manager will continue to publish in the information channels information about the further expansion of the Black Sea Corridor for Electromobility.
The institutional sustainability of the project will be ensured by conducting training seminars to increase the competencies of municipal specialists, who will apply the acquired knowledge in their future work related to defining policies and activities in the field of adaptation to climate change.
In order to multiply the results, ABCHO as an association of 21 Black Sea municipalities will disseminate the innovative model and good practices of bilateral cooperation with the Norwegian partner among the members of the association.
The district governors are the body that implements the environmental protection policy at the district level, which makes them committed to the goals and activities of the project.
The project activities are aimed at the general local community of the partner municipalities, incl. and local business, because the planning and implementation of effective measures for adaptation to climate change determine the quality of life of local communities, the development of the local economy, even the lives and health of people.
Summary of bilateral results
The working visit included two specialists from each municipality who participated in the training seminar conducted by Smart Innovation Norway AS. It organized the three-day working visit of 12 Bulgarians, which included both a theoretical presentation of measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change at the local level, with an emphasis on the field of transport, and on-site working visits.