On January 17, 2023, The Government of Catalonia (Spain) has approved the new Strategic Reference Framework for adaptation to climate change known as the Catalan Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change for the 2030 horizon (ESCACC30). This is the first of its kind in Spain and in the nations of southern Europe, which establishes the strategic guidelines that sectoral public policies must follow to adapt to the impacts of climate change and, consequently, reduce the vulnerability of their territory. This new strategic framework proposes 312 specific measures to facilitate the adaptation of natural environments, socio-economic activities and the territory to the new environmental scenarios.
These measures have been developed following a solid review of the scientific knowledge and information on climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean and Catalonia from technical and scientific assessment reports. The First Mediterranean Assessement Report (MAR1) is a reference document in the new Catalan Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the 2030 horizon. We can only be encouraged by such an important acknowledgement of our work, as it completely fulfils our main objective of providing governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
It should be highligted that the development of the strategy included as well a participatory process run by the Catalan Office for Climate Change (OCCC) and Catalonia’s Directorate-General for Citizen Participation with the support of scientists of the CREAF (Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, Spain). To learn more about this collaboration, visit the CREAF webpage detailing the process.