Description
Future climate change will likely have negative health impacts for millions of people, especially people with low adaptation capacity. Climate change will have negative effect on the touristic potential and infrastructure of urbanized regions. Within the critical infrastructure elements, transport sector is the most exposed to climate change impacts: the number of road accidents significantly increases during both heatwaves and long-lasting cold winter periods with heavy snow. There have not been existing and harmonized researches for climate change impacts on different sectors yet. To prepare targeted and sustainable adaptation strategies, it is indispensable to elaborate an objective approach helping quantify the exposure, vulnerability and adaptation capacity of all sectors. The main objective of the project is to prepare vulnerability indicators related to climate change which will foster the development of adaptation strategies and objective decision making. The project is focusing on three important sectors within the tourism and critical infrastructure: (1) study of the excess mortality related to heatwaves, (2) impact and vulnerability assessment of road accidents within extreme weather events, and (3) effects of climatic conditions on tourism. The indicators will be quantified, on the one hand, for the past and present based on observational data, and on the other hand, for the future based on regional climate model outputs. Developed indicators capable to monitor the changes caused by climate on the 3 sectors analysed by the project which can be integrated to the NAGIS system.
Summary of project results
In Hungary, some increase has already been detected in the intensity and frequency of temperature and precipitation extremes. All these confirm the necessity of adaptation to climate change. Up till now, there were no harmonized researches for climate change impacts on different sectors developed. To prepare targeted and sustainable adaptation strategies, it is indispensable to elaborate an objective approach helping quantify the exposure, vulnerability and adaptation capacity of any sectors. The main purposes of the project was to establish such a methodology for the tourism and critical infrastructure sectors and to extend the NAGIS with the related indicators for exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity. The most important objectives of the project were to study the excess mortality related to heatwaves, to assess the impact and vulnerability of road accidents within extreme weather events, and to assess the effects of climate conditions on tourism. All the project deliverables and all the indicators contracted have been achieved within deadline. The most important project outputs are listed below: • Meteorological data on the present and the future; • Touristic, climatological studies, tests have been made; • vulnerability indicators have been developed; • sensitivity and adaptability indicators have been developed, the methodology of these and the testing performed; • GIS based models were run; • Developed national level vulnerability indicators; • Developed the meta database which was incorporated into the NAGIS; • Under the Communication activities the project promoter has organized events and workshops, attended conferences, delivered presentation, developed publications, developed the project website; • The project promoter was active under the bilateral activities;
Summary of bilateral results