LIFE

& Climate change adaptation

The EU LIFE Programme

The LIFE programme is the EUs funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the
implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with added value. Since its start in 1992, LIFE has been continuously co-funding innovative projects that help
address the EUs transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy, strategically underpinning the implementation
of the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change and demonstrating ways to meet the climate action challenges from
now to 2030.
With more than 4 171 initiatives supported to date, 142 projects have been exclusively on climate change adaptation with
a total allocation of 308 million. LIFE has thus tackled possible threats and hazardous events, making a significant contribution to the fight against climate change.
Of the many issues addressed by LIFE, there is a focus on practices and measures that promote resilient communities, safeguard natural
resources, encourage protection of ecosystems and foster adaptive technologies for economic sectors that are vulnerable to climate change.
LIFE has focused on forest fires and flood prevention measures and the application of the precautionary principle. It also made a particular contribution to the development and elaboration of hydrological and climate models as tools necessary to address water scarcity and
droughts. Other projects supported by LIFE developed tools and novel technologies demonstrating realistic climate change scenarios for
specific sites to enable impact and vulnerability assessments and suggest the most appropriate adaptation measures to protect biodiversity
and improve urban and rural resilience.
Two such good LIFE practices are profiled here, and a list of 14 other projects is attached. Further details about these, plus more than 125
other climate change adaptation projects, can be found in the LIFE project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/
Title: HydroClimateStrategyRiga - Integrated
Strategy for Riga City to Adapt to the Hydrological
Processes Intensified by Climate Change Phenomena

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Project number: LIFE08 ENV/LV/000451

Title: ACT - Adapting to climate change in Time

Project number: LIFE08 ENV/IT/000436
Contact: Comune di Ancona (Local authority)
Email: marco.cardinaletti@comune.ancona.it

Contact: Riga City Council

Website: www.actlife.eu/EN/index.xhtml

Email: renars.grinbergs@riga.lv
Website: www.rigapretpludiem.lv

HydroClimateStrategyRiga

ACT

Certain areas of Riga are subject to regular flood events. For that reason,
the project conducted a preventative study of hydrological processes, such
as sea water surges caused by storms a major flood risk in Riga spring
spates, territorial flooding caused by precipitation and coastal erosion, which
in combination with climate change may lead to economic loss as well as
having a negative impact on the natural and cultural heritage.

The Adapting to Climate Change (ACT) project developed a local adaptation

strategy that took into consideration the environmental, social and economic
impacts of climate change through a well-defined, integrated and participatory process.

The acquired data and the Riga City Relief Model exclusively developed for
the exploration, modelling and anticipation of the effect of such hydrological
processes were used as a basis for practical suggestions and flood prevention recommendations in the territory of Riga city. Moreover, the projects
specialists analysed successful flood threat combating practices in other
European cities, such as Antwerp (Belgium), the Hague and Rotterdam (the
Netherlands) and Hamburg (Germany), where flood management is based
on extensive and long-term flood risk research, modelling, monitoring, forecasting and planning.
Solutions to reduce flood threat were provided, like reconstruction and
construction of dams or ramparts, watergates and floodgates, earthwork,
improvement of rainwater drainage and melioration systems, as well as
coastal strengthening. Finally, the methodological approach enables new
construction projects to be included and evaluated in the model, thus
facilitating the decision-making process of local authorities into the future.

Three municipalities in regions that appeared particularly vulnerable to the

effects of climate change namely Ancona (Italy), Patras (Greece) and Bullas (Spain) were examined so as to identify an effective municipal strategy
for local climate change adaptation measures.
Each municipality created a Local Adaptation Board (LAB), a multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial working group to consider aspects like environmental protection, soil protection and water resources management. Preliminary
studies analysed the effects of climate change, with the evaluations being
used to help draft the local adaptation plan (LAP) for each city.
ACT identified a successful approach to drafting an adaptation plan at local
level by increasing the knowledge base of local actors and citizens about
problems linked to climate change. It also highlighted the importance of
implementing preventive measures to tackle current climate change events
and enhance urban resilience, as well as mapping out all sources of information to identify possible gaps and demonstrate solutions for the most
vulnerable systems and sectors.

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Environment

Factsheet-LIFE-ClimateAdaptation.indd 1

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SELECTIVE LIST PROJECTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

Water Change

VACCIA

Medium and long term water resources modelling

as a tool for planning and global change adaptation.
Application to the Llobregat Basin

Vulnerability assessment of ecosystem services for

climate change impacts and adaptation

Beneficiary: Cetaqua, Centro Tecnologico del Aqua

www.life-waterchange.eu

LIFE07 ENV/E/000845

Beneficiary: Finnish Environment Institute

www.syke.fi/projects/vaccia

LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000141

WIZ

TRUST

WaterIZe spatial planning: encompass future drink

water management conditions to adapt to climate
change

Tool for regional scale assessment of groundwater

storage improvement in adaptation to Climate Change

Beneficiary: ACQUE S.P.A.

www.wiz-life.eu/index

LIFE09 ENV/IT/000056

Beneficiary: Autorit di bacino dei fiumi Isonzo, Tagliamento, Livenza, Piave, Brenta-Bacchiglione
www.lifetrust.it

LIFE07 ENV/IT/000475

AgriClimateChange

CATERMASS

Combating climate change through farming: application

of a common evaluation system in the 4 largest agricultural economies of the EU

Climate Change Adaptation Tools for Environmental

Risk Mitigation of Acid Sulphate Soils

Beneficiary: FUNDACIN GLOBAL NATURE

www.agriclimatechange.eu

LIFE09 ENV/ES/000441

Beneficiary: Finnish Environment Institute

www.catermass.

LIFE08 ENV/FIN/000609

FLOODSCAN

CHANGING THE CHANGE

LArge scale adjustment of new technology for fast, precise

and cost-efficient hydraulic 2d-modelling of flood (hazard)
areas by combining laser scanning with remote sensing data

LIFE+campaign Changing the change. The Galician

agriculture and forest sector facing climate change

Beneficiary: Bayerisches Landesamt fur Umwelt

Beneficiary: Unions Agrarias UPA

www.lfu.bayern.de/wasser/hw_
ue_gebiete/oodscan/index.htm LIFE06 ENV/D/000461

www.unionsagrarias.org/lifecambiarocambio/index_uk.asp
LIFE07 INF/E/000852

Power

Las Rozas por el clima

Project for optimization of water and emission reduction

Local Action Plan for Fighting Climate Change in

Las Rozas de Madrid: Application and Evaluation of
Municipal Management Methods

Beneficiary: Fundacion San Valero

Beneficiary: Ayuntamiento de Las Rozas de Madrid

(local authority)
www.lifepowerproject.eu

LIFE08 ENV/E/000114

www.lasrozas.es/

LIFE08 ENV/E/000101

HydroSense

ClimaBiz

Innovative precision technologies for optimised irrigation and integrated crop management in a waterlimited agrosystem

Financial Institutions: Preparing the Market for adapting

to Climate Change

Beneficiary: The Goulandris Natural History Museum

(NGOs)
www.hydrosense.org

LIFE08 ENV/GR/000570

Beneficiary: PIRAEUS BANK SA

www.climabiz.gr

LIFE08 ENV/GR/000552

GAIA

Re.S.C.We.

Green Areas Inner-city Agreement GAIA

Restoration of Sentina coastal wetlands

Beneficiary: Comune di Bologna

Beneficiary: Municipality of San Benedetto del Tronto

www.lifegaia.eu

www.life-rescwe.it

European Union, 2015

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LIFE09 ENV/IT/000074

LIFE09 NAT/IT/000608

Visit the LIFE website:

ec.europa.eu/life

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