Report from the Thematic Workshop on Climate change and Flood Risk Management (8-10 September 2010 WG F 7th meeting April 27 2010 Barbro Näslund-Landenmark Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency barbro.naslund-landenmark@msb.se

General remarks Information on Climate Change is uncertain but trends are robust enough to start to act. IPCC TP on Water Several gaps in knowledge exist in terms of observations and research needs related to climate change and water.

General conclusions Integrated approach Interlinkages with mitigation, DRR and adaptation Better understanding of causes, effects and interaction Enable better use of international experience, best practice and cooperation Relocation or increased resiliance of assets in flood prone areas Give rivers more space – best practices

Recent developments in climate change scenarios, progress in model predictions and needs for research and development. Global models are used, mostly downscaled to regional models. Need for knowledge from local conditions so that models are adjusted and calibrated for the specific region. Use the time frame the politicians can “understand” and for which structure stands. Different responsibilities must be identified, discussed and solved. Responsibilities for local, regional, national and international level. Be careful with high-resolution – don’t push data too far.

Need for having the same definitions, units and scales. Cross-border cooperation in the view of climate change related impacts on floods. Variation of climate change impact is still rather large and depends on scenarios and used models. Current transboundary agreements need to be revised. In large river basins there is a need of coordination of models and scenarios to get consistent projections. Need for having the same definitions, units and scales.

Climate change challenges for risk management and civil protection in relation to floods: focus on prevention and preparedness. Systems for warnings and forecasting can and should be improved to reach a better level of common understanding both for inhabitants and visitors. Regular checks and a systemised revision on control programs for existing safety measures. Civil protection and floods – important to have plans for protection, evacuation and functioning methods. Take note of lessons learnt from previous major disasters, adapt within the risk management circle

Patterns are changing – many observations on flash floods. Climate changing flood patterns – need for a new approach to flood risk management. Patterns are changing – many observations on flash floods. Planned protection must be flexible to meet new patterns. Calculate cost/benefits on preventive measures. International examples and best practices.

Interlinkages between mitigation and adaptation measures. Examples from Member States on governmental and national strategies including legislation regarding climate change Holistic approach – better understanding of causes, effects and interactions is needed. Interlinkages between mitigation and adaptation measures. No existing legislation in general for CC.

Recommendations for Flood Risk Management Plans FRMP need to be linked to Disaster Risk Reduction, Civil Protection and Emergency Response Planning. FRMP need to be linked to spatial / land use planning. Coordination on river basin district level (and for shared coastal flood prone areas) is needed and can be done by: Information exchange Adopting guidelines “how to deal with CC throughout the FRMP cycle” Common scenarios (also more extreme than current IPCC) Prioritized lists of “no-regret” and “win-win” measures

Recommendations for Flood Risk Management Plans Besides SLR and effects on rivers, increase attention for heavy precipitation events and sewage and urban drainage systems. Make FRMP climate proof: Take into account CC Use the 6-year review period of FRMP for gradual adaptation Improve the economic assessment and (social) cost benefit analysis Emphasize the involvement of stakeholders in the production of plans Define responsibilities at all levels of society and involve all relevant sectors Improve early warning systems and make them understandable for all, including for visitors/tourists.

Suggestions for future events – discussion CC knowledge today enough for PFRA – but for future – look more in detail into CC for FRM and FRMP New Workshop on CC and Flood Risk Management and Prevention when the IPCC TP is published, new trends and information, 2013? Not a discussion paper as indicated in Maastricht CC integrated with Floodings in LUP, Water quality, environmental resources and DRR in adaptation