A Global Indicator of Climate Change Adaptation in Catalonia

Abstract

The Catalan Office for Climate Change has been working on a pioneering and innovative document, “A Global Indicator of Climate Change Adaptation in Catalonia”. The study took 83 indicators as its starting point, identifying and classifying 29 key indicators as the methodology was developed. These are grouped under the following headings: water management, agriculture and livestock farming, forestry, health, the energy sector, industry, services and commerce, tourism, town planning and housing, mobility and transport infrastructures, research, development and innovation.

The subsequent statistical analysis of these 29 indicators, with the assistance of the Catalan Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (Ivàlua), produced a global adaptation indicator quantifying Catalonia’s capacity to adapt to climate change impacts. This global indicator is based on two factors: use of resources and environmental quality. Effectively, capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change depends on how we use resources (primarily water and energy) and on the quality of the environment (primarily air quality).

The global indicator allows a country’s capacity to adapt to climate change to be monitored over time. The absolute value of the indicator (from 0 to 10) dropped slightly between 2005 and 2011. Catalonia is working on the issue, but must continue to make every effort to improve the extent to which we are adapting to ensure that our land, natural systems and society are progressively less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In developing this indicator, Catalonia has a tool which provides guidance on where to focus efforts towards developing a green, circular, low-carbon economy which is adaptable to the new conditions brought about by climate change. This is opening up a range of economic and social opportunities which are currently being developed in fields such as energy efficiency, saving water, renewable energies, smart mobility, forestry management and healthcare.

The indicators included in the global indicator should be reviewed every 5 or 10 years based on new information available (in order to include more aspects in the global indicator).