Linda Romanovska

The aim of this report is to assess inequalities in the exposure to and impacts of selected environmental
health hazards (air pollution, noise, and extreme temperatures) on European society and to discuss how
these are reflected in current policy and practice. The assessment described in this report looks at the
overlap between socio-demographic characteristics and the levels of exposure to environmental health
hazards within sub-national regions. In many European countries, the… Show more

The aim of this report is to assess inequalities in the exposure to and impacts of selected environmental
health hazards (air pollution, noise, and extreme temperatures) on European society and to discuss how
these are reflected in current policy and practice. The assessment described in this report looks at the
overlap between socio-demographic characteristics and the levels of exposure to environmental health
hazards within sub-national regions. In many European countries, the disproportionate exposure of lower
socio-economic groups to air pollution, noise and high temperatures occurs in urban areas, so the report also addresses cities. Show less

The SEE2020 region includes six economies marked by relatively similar economic growth and land use, but with significant differences in energy, water and food production and consumption, as well as ecosystem preservation. The specific objectives of the Study are the following:1) Identification of interlinkages and potential benefits, trade-offs and conflicts among Nexus sectors (water, energy, food and ecosystems).
2) Identification of the level of integration of management of natural… Show more

The SEE2020 region includes six economies marked by relatively similar economic growth and land use, but with significant differences in energy, water and food production and consumption, as well as ecosystem preservation. The specific objectives of the Study are the following:1) Identification of interlinkages and potential benefits, trade-offs and conflicts among Nexus sectors (water, energy, food and ecosystems).
2) Identification of the level of integration of management of natural resources related to Nexus (i.e. water, energy, food and ecosystems).
3) Brief assessment of the level and status of cooperation for the management of transboundary basins in the SEE2020 region.
The study focuses on the SEE2020 Region, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo*, Montenegro and Serbia, within its wider geographic context. It is aimed as the conceptual and technical background to support and inform the Nexus Policy Dialogue process, ongoing since 2013 in SEE under the ‘Petersberg Phase II / Athens Declaration Process’ and Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) programme “International Waters: Learning Exchange and Resources Network” (IW:LEARN) in cooperation with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Show less

This article discusses the application of life-cycle thinking (LCT) methods for holistic urban green infrastructure (UGI) assessments to inform and enhance urban sustainability decision-making. It draws upon scientific and grey literature to present the key concepts and emerging LCT methodology developments within the urban green infrastructure evaluation context. Key methodological challenges are identified and discussed: the issues of (i) defining “green… Show more

This article discusses the application of life-cycle thinking (LCT) methods for holistic urban green infrastructure (UGI) assessments to inform and enhance urban sustainability decision-making. It draws upon scientific and grey literature to present the key concepts and emerging LCT methodology developments within the urban green infrastructure evaluation context. Key methodological challenges are identified and discussed: the issues of (i) defining “green infrastructure” and (ii)“urban” boundaries, achieving (iii) the full representation of the broad range of UGI benefits and impacts (iv) over its whole life cycle, as well as (v) accounting for the wide variety of UGI types, their combinations and (vi) inherently dynamic nature, (vii) high performance dependency on climatic and other local conditions, and also, the challenges related to (viii) the monetisation of costs and benefits for comprehensive economic evaluation as well as (ix) the issues of city-scale assessments. Further methodology development and dataneeds for the adaptation of LCT methods for urban green infrastructure assessments are outlined. Four guiding principles are proposed: alignment with global urban sustainability goals, integration of ecosystem services accounting, harmonisation with existing LCA and LCC standards, and co-creation. The article concludes that urban green infrastructure is a novel field of application of LCT methods and differs considerably from traditional uses due to a range of methodological challenges specific to the inherent characteristics of urban green infrastructure.These need to be addressed in order to close the knowledge gaps and better understand the holistic value and performance of urban green infrastructure to enable evidence-based decision-making. Show less

Climate change impacts do not affect all citizens in the same way. Extreme events like flooding from
heavy rainfall or urban heat often cause worse impacts on certain vulnerable groups. These groups
include people living in areas with low environmental qualities (green space and air quality), people
with low socio-economic status, and people with physical conditions face greater difficulties in
preparing for, and in recovering from, climate change impacts. The reasons for these… Show more

Climate change impacts do not affect all citizens in the same way. Extreme events like flooding from
heavy rainfall or urban heat often cause worse impacts on certain vulnerable groups. These groups
include people living in areas with low environmental qualities (green space and air quality), people
with low socio-economic status, and people with physical conditions face greater difficulties in
preparing for, and in recovering from, climate change impacts. The reasons for these difficulties can
lie in the lack of economic resources or in particular physical conditions like poor health, or living
alone or suffering from other social disadvantages like being a tenant or not understanding the
national language.
Adaptation solutions implemented without involving these groups can exclude them from
participating in the decision-making process and may deepen existing inequalities in the distribution
of climate change consequences across urban societies. In most European cities, there is still limited
awareness about this problem and about the need for assessments and adaptation policy design
that targets vulnerable groups.
The aim of this technical paper is to provide the state-of-play in policy and practice for assessing
social vulnerability and developing socially just adaptation responses to climate change in urban
areas. Show less

The Climate Adaptation Partnership was set up in 2017 as a multilevel and cross-sectoral cooperation instrument and key delivery mechanism for the priority theme Climate Adaptation.
This Action Plan has been prepared by Urban Agenda for the EU Climate Adaptation Partnership to
provide concrete proposals for the design of future and the revision of existing EU legislation,
instruments and initiatives relating to the adaptation to climate change… Show more

The Climate Adaptation Partnership was set up in 2017 as a multilevel and cross-sectoral cooperation instrument and key delivery mechanism for the priority theme Climate Adaptation.
This Action Plan has been prepared by Urban Agenda for the EU Climate Adaptation Partnership to
provide concrete proposals for the design of future and the revision of existing EU legislation,
instruments and initiatives relating to the adaptation to climate change in urban areas in the EU. Show less

Municipalities across Europe increasingly acknowledge the need to adapt to climate change and have begun to adopt various measures. Meeting the costs of adaptation measures for climate change is, however, a major challenge. Municipalities have found innovative ways to overcome that challenge and have started implementing measures. These solutions could be relevant for other cities, towns and smaller municipalities too, and examples are collected and presented in this publication as an… Show more

Municipalities across Europe increasingly acknowledge the need to adapt to climate change and have begun to adopt various measures. Meeting the costs of adaptation measures for climate change is, however, a major challenge. Municipalities have found innovative ways to overcome that challenge and have started implementing measures. These solutions could be relevant for other cities, towns and smaller municipalities too, and examples are collected and presented in this publication as an inspiration. It offers insights into lessons learned on the ground regarding the most successful approaches, the difficulties encountered and overcome and the key success factors in financing local adaptation action. Show less

The SIM4NEXUS and MAGIC consortia outline how detailed understanding of the NEXUS - water, land, energy, food, climate - can facilitate decision-making

Mayors Adapt, the EU initiative on adaptation in European cities, undertook empirical research into urban adaptation knowledge gaps faced by European cities. This work identifies cities' needs on knowledge generation and the barriers to knowledge transfer and access that cities experience when working on adaptation and climate risks; these needs and barriers are preventing them from building adaptive capacity and implementing adaptation at city level. This executive summary outlines the gaps… Show more

Mayors Adapt, the EU initiative on adaptation in European cities, undertook empirical research into urban adaptation knowledge gaps faced by European cities. This work identifies cities' needs on knowledge generation and the barriers to knowledge transfer and access that cities experience when working on adaptation and climate risks; these needs and barriers are preventing them from building adaptive capacity and implementing adaptation at city level. This executive summary outlines the gaps identified by cities regarding the current knowledge available, as well as proposes recommendations to address both the knowledge gaps and barriers to knowledge transfer. Show less