Impacts of climate change will be even swifter and more severe than indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2007 report, the European Commission said in its White Paper on the subject published on April 1.
Repercussions will affect many different areas of life, including marine life as a whole, and fisheries in particular. As the impact of climate change will have varying regional implications, most adaptation measures will need to be taken nationally and regionally, the Commission stated.
“Europe’s coasts and marine areas are in the frontline of climate change. We need to get ready to face coming challenges such as rising sea-levels, coastal flooding, the impact on coastal tourism and on ports and shipping, and also on fisheries”, said Maritime and fisheries affairs Commissioner Joe Borg. “We cannot deny the importance of coastal ecosystems to our economy. Today, around 50 per cent of the European population lives in coastal areas, therefore efforts to adapt to climate change are crucial and urgent”.
The White Paper presents a framework within which the European Union and its Member States can prepare for the impacts of climate change. A first phase of the strategy will run until 2012 and will lay the groundwork for preparing a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy from 2013 and beyond.
It will focus on “increasing our understanding of climate change and possible adaptation measures and how adaptation can be embedded in key EU policies”, a Commission press release said, underlining that “information content and availability differs widely across regions”. The paper outlines the need for a “Clearing House Mechanism”, in which to exchange information on climate change risks, impacts and best practices.
Awaiting the publication of the paper, environmental organisations Seas At Risk and Greenpeace sent a joint letter to Commissioners Borg and Stavros Dimas (Environment) stressing the importance of the integration of climate change adaptation in the upcoming review of the Common Fisheries Policy, as well as “relevant fisheries measures that also make part of our Ocean 2012 objectives”.