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Description
The aim of this project is to improve consistency in policy planning for climate change and its conformity at the national level, additionally improving climate change policy planning into sectoral and regional policies.
The direct target groups of the project are municipalities, state institutions and society. The location of the project implementation is in the Republic of Latvia.
During the project implementation, it is planned to develop additional climate change policy planning tools, such as developing a regional data collection and reporting system to promote climate change policy planning and implementation at regional level. Besides, in order to improve reporting and policy planning, an electronic database is planned on ozone depleting substances and F-gases. It is also intended to renew and improve Latvia''s climate change scenario for 2100, in order to ensure policy planning in line with the latest forecasts, as well as the assessment of Latvia''s coastal erosion, taking into account climate change scenarios, in order to adapt the planning of coastal use and develop suitable solutions to prevent coastal erosion.
The project foresees the integration of climate change policies into sectoral and regional policies and activities, including the assessment of current practices and the development of recommendations to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation aspects in sectors such as finance, insurance, construction of buildings, roads and railways, land use planning and re-planning. It is also planned to introduce a new study course for Latvian municipalities and town local governments on climate change mitigation and adaptation issues.
Summary of project results
The pre-defined project “Integration of Climate Change Policy in Sectoral and Regional Policies," financed under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme for 2014–2021 "Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation, and the Environment” focused on such strategic goals as mitigating climate change and increasing resilience. Climate change is one of Europe and Latvia''s most significant global challenges affecting economic and social development. It impacts the sustainability of society, the potential for economic growth, the state of ecosystems, and the quality of life.
Achieving the climate policy goals requires not only strengthening climate policy but also adapting sectoral policies. Other sectors in the development of their policies must be well informed and accountable for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they generate. Different sectors also contribute to carbon dioxide capture and must be able to reduce the risks posed by climate change.
Therefore, the project aimed to improve the consistency and relevance of climate change policy planning at the national level, as well as to increase its integration into sectoral and regional policies in Latvia.
The target groups of the Project are municipalities, state institutions and society.
The project consisted of two main outputs and activities:
1. Development of additional climate change policy planning tools:
- Framework for collection and provision of regional data to promote regional climate change policy planning and implementation;
- Updated Latvia''s climate change scenarios for 2100 based on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (AR6);
- Enhancement of the national warning system regarding meteorological phenomena;
- Coastal erosion assessment in Latvia and set of possible solutions to prevent coastal erosion.
2. Integration of climate change policy into sectoral and regional policies and activities:
- Recommendations to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation aspects into policies of sectors such as investment projects, building construction, insurance, sustainable financing, sustainable transport infrastructure planning, and territorial development planning;
- E-learning course for municipalities and planning regions on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In general, the Project has developed regulatory recommendations in 6 sectors, improved the capacity of 59 public institutions and 578 experts to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation aspects into sectoral and regional policies and activities, developed 3 additional tools for improving climate change policy planning and implementation and developed 5 new meteorological warning criteria for meteorological phenomena etc.
The following results in the project have been achieved:
1. Framework for the collection and provision of regional data to promote regional climate change policy planning and implementation:
As a result of the Project, a system for collecting and reporting regional climate change indicators has been developed. 43 municipalities and 5 planning regions of Latvia are ensured with 22 regional indicators related to their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (emitted GHG and other gas emissions in municipalities in CO2 equivalents and as per 1 inhabitant), produced renewable energy (produced electricity and heating energy from renewable resources, the share of produced electricity), land use (forest land changes, the proportion of forest lands, the density of forest stands stock, organic lands), zero-emission transport infrastructure (proportion of registered vehicles with electric motors).
In addition, the indicators are published on the Official Statistics Portal: https://stat.gov.lv/lv/statistikas-temas/vide/regionalie-klimata-parmainu-raditaji.
The indicators are already being used by municipalities in their regional energy and climate change policy planning and the development of individual GHG emissions and energy profiles.
2. Electronic database on ozone-depleting substances and F-gases:
Within the project, an electronic database for ozone-depleting substances and F-gases has been developed. An electronic database ensures more accurate data entry and facilitates the easy selection of required information. The automatic data calculation functions provide more precise results by sector for F-gas consumption and improve F-gas balance calculations in the long term. Unified access to the database simplifies the selection and control of data content and accuracy.
The new electronic system also allows access to other institutions (such as regulatory authorities) and relevant experts from the Latvian Environment, Geology, and Meteorology Centre, who use the data for F-gas emission calculations in the annual GHG inventory.
3. Updated Latvia’s climate change scenarios up to 2100 based on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (AR6):
Latvia is among the first countries to have calculated future climate change scenarios for 2100 within the project, based on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Report. The assessment of current climate change and the calculation of future climate change scenarios provide essential information for policy planners and municipalities, supporting decision-making and climate change policy planning.
Latvia’s past climate change has been assessed for the following meteorological and hydrological parameters:
- Average, maximum, and minimum air temperature (1947–2023);
- Precipitation (1945–2023);
- Average wind speed (1966–2023);
- Snow cover thickness (1945–2023);
- Mean sea level (1961–2023).
Latvia’s future climate change has been calculated for the following scenarios:
- SSP1-2.6: Minor climate changes;
- SSP2-4.5: Medium climate change;
- SSP3-7.0: Significant climate change.
Additionally, within the project, the climate change analysis tool (https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats_latvija/klimata_riks/) has been developed. This tool provides information about the future climate in Latvian municipalities, based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) climate change scenarios. The tool includes not only seasonal and yearly projections for the future but also information on past climate change based on meteorological observations. In the past and future climate change analysis tools, users can find information on nearly 30 climate indicators related to air temperature, precipitation, snow cover, wind speed, and sea level.
4. Enhancement of the national warning system regarding meteorological phenomena:
Within the project, a new approach for issuing warnings about hydrometeorological hazards and their potential impacts has been developed. The existing meteorological warning criteria were revised, and criteria for five new phenomena were defined: frost, ultraviolet radiation, risk of old grass fires, floods, and hydrological drought.
An operational tool for preparing warnings was developed, allowing for the assessment of the potential impact of weather phenomena. A concept and database for impact assessment of predicted hazardous hydrometeorological conditions were also created. Additionally, a mobile application was developed to provide the public with easy access to meteorological observations and individually customized warning information.
5.Coastal erosion assessment for Latvia and set of possible solutions to prevent coastal erosion:
The project has developed a new, remote sensing-based methodology for monitoring coastline changes in Latvia. The method is unique, as Latvia is one of the few countries in the world that has used satellite data to assess coastal erosion at the local level. This method has been tested and will be successfully used in long-term coastal change studies and spatial development planning.
Using freely available satellite remote sensing data, a coastal erosion assessment was conducted for the years 2017–2022. The results from these satellite data were validated using data from unmanned aerial vehicles and high-resolution commercial satellites in a pilot area near Bernāti, in southern Latvia.
In addition to assessing past changes, future coastal evolution was forecasted using the latest Shared Socioeconomic Pathways sea-level climate change scenarios, extending until 2100.
The results of the project, including both past coastal evolution and future projections, are freely available through the newly updated climate change analysis tool: https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats_latvija/klimata_riks/.
As part of the project, the Ministry of Climate and Energy has conducted a study and developed practical solutions for coastal planning and the reduction of coastal erosion. The recommendations provide support for local governments and coastal municipalities in planning coastal area development, as well as helping to limit the consequences of coastal erosion caused by climate change.
The study has classified coastal erosion risk levels and identified the most appropriate solutions for coastal erosion mitigation and management according to the specific erosion risk levels. The system of four defined risk classes will enable municipalities to respond more effectively to coastal erosion risks and make timely decisions to manage them, determining the most appropriate measures and interventions for each risk level. “Roadmaps” for coastal erosion solutions to strengthen and mitigate erosion have been prepared for three coastal municipalities in Latvia: Talsi, Dienvidkurzeme, and Limbaži county.
Additionally, recommendations have been developed for the protection and adaptation measures for endangered coastal sites and suggested solutions for maintaining the resilience of tourism infrastructure and bathing areas against climate change risks.
The study is available at: https://klimatam.lv/norvegijas-grantu-projekts/publikacijas/petijumi-un-metodiskie-materiali/.
6. Recommendations to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation aspects into policies of sectors such as investment projects, building construction, insurance, sustainable financing, sustainable transport infrastructure planning, and territorial development planning:
To support national authorities in integrating aspects of climate change into sectoral policies, the project conducted comprehensive studies on six sectors such as investment projects, building construction, insurance, sustainable financing, sustainable transport infrastructure planning, and territorial development planning.
Within the framework of the studies, the following tasks were performed:
- assessed current practices (regulatory requirements, administrative procedures, institutional responsibilities, etc.) and analysed at the international, European Union and national level;
- identified, analysed and compared the foreign best practices with Latvia;
- developed recommendations to integrate the climate change aspects into relevant sectoral policies.
Some of the recommendations developed have already been adopted to improve sectoral policies. For example, the study on the development of a green budget framework has served as a basis for the Ministry of Finance in preparing the informative report on the “green budget” labelling in Latvia. It has been approved that, by the beginning of 2026, the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with other sectoral ministries, will develop an evaluation methodology for the “green budget” labelling and submit it to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The “Study on the improvement of the insurance sector to reduce losses caused by climate change” has contributed to wider discussions in Latvian sectors such as agriculture, forestry, and energy, regarding the insuring of risks caused by climate change and the creation of new insurance services.
7. E-learning course for municipalities and planning regions on climate change mitigation and adaptation:
As part of the project, the Ministry of Climate and Energy has developed an e-learning course for municipalities and planning regions on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The e-learning course aimed to expand the theoretical knowledge of specialists in municipalities and planning regions about climate change, climate policy, and its implementation tools. It also aimed to enhance their capacity to integrate climate policy into local and regional spatial development planning.
The main target audience for the e-learning course was specialists in local governments and planning regions whose work responsibilities are related to spatial development planning, energy, environmental or climate change issues, or the preparation and implementation of project applications.
The content of the e-learning course consists of 4 chapters, which include:
- General information about climate and climate change;
- Information on “Climate Policy,” which explains the processes of developing and adopting international and national climate policies, as well as the current legislative and planning documents related to climate policy;
- An examination of the structure of “Climate Policy Implementation Instruments” and the available types of instruments used to address climate change issues in Latvia;
- Information on “Climate Policy Implementation in Latvia” which provides insight into how climate policy is integrated into the sectors emitting the most greenhouse gases, as well as in regions and municipalities, both in the development of planning documents and in the implementation of various measures.
The development of the e-learning course started in November 2021. The content was developed in 2022, and the e-learning platform was created in 2023. The course has been available for training since October 2023. The implementation of an interactive e-learning course has enhanced the knowledge of 374 specialists in municipalities and planning regions.
The course received positive feedback from participants, particularly regarding the content and design of the e-learning platform. Due to the high level of interest from public administration institutions, it was decided to extend the target group and continue the e-learning process at least until the end of 2024, after the conclusion of the project.
Summary of bilateral results
The partnership with the donor project partner, the Norwegian Environment Agency, facilitated cooperation, shared experiences, and good practices, while also attracting competent Norwegian experts to the project''s expert seminars.Within the project, strong cooperation was established between the project partner Latvian Environment, Geology, and Meteorology Centre and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. As part of the project, Norwegian Meteorological Institute experts shared their knowledge and experience on the calculation of climate change scenarios and the improvement of an impact-based hydro meteorological warning system. The established cooperation has continued under the fund for bilateral relations, which has organized an experience exchange visit to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.The project promoter, the Ministry of Climate and Energy, highly values the developed partnership with the Norwegian Environment Agency and expresses its commitment to continuing cooperation in the next EEA/Norway grant period or in other future projects.The project partner Latvian Environment, Geology, and Meteorology Centre potentially has plans to continue cooperation with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in other projects and activities.