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Description
According to climatic models, the Central Europe region is expected to increase negative phenomena such as drought, heat waves, extreme torrential rainfall and lightning floods. The aim of the project is to create an adaptation strategy for the city of Mělník and reduce the negative impacts of climate change on local people. The outputs obtained within the analysis of the territory and the elaboration of the adaptation strategy will be used in other conceptual and strategic documents of the city.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to create an adaptation strategy for Mělník, which will ensure the future of our city even in the climate crisis, which brings negative impacts in the form of flash floods, drought, gusty winds or high summer temperatures. In the Czech Republic, the average temperature has risen by two degrees over the last 60 years and will very likely continue to rise over the next 20 years. The main problem associated with the changing climate is the rapidly increasing extreme weather fluctuations, for which the city''s infrastructure is not prepared in the long term.
Among our priority topics were the effective management of water resources, the path to energy self-sufficiency, as well as improving the communication of the topic of environmental protection to our residents. Thanks to the analysis of the territory, we learned that in the case of our city it is important to focus on the problems that arise in connection with heat waves and drought. On the other hand, despite the fact that we are located on a large watercourse, the risk of flooding is relatively low compared to other cities. The areas most at risk from high temperatures and drought include the built-up parts of the city, namely the local housing estate, the historic center and the industrial parts of the city, but the surrounding agricultural areas are also vulnerable to drought. Part of the project was a workshop for students of the local Jan Palach Gymnasium, who, as part of the project, proposed their own measures to reduce vulnerability to climate change. The public then got involved in the planning as part of the Mělník City Day, where people could share their experiences with life in the city using feeling maps. Based on the analysis of the territory, we proposed a set of measures that the city should implement in the future. These include, for example, the revitalization of the Pšovka watercourse, the construction of wetlands and other water bodies around the city, the establishment of boundaries and draws, the support of more ecologically friendly and gentler agriculture, or the planting of species-appropriate greenery in the municipality and in the surrounding countryside. As part of the measures, we will also focus on mitigation measures in the form of energy savings on buildings.