CASCADE

The CASCADE project aims to improve the capacity to understand, assess, and treat current and future climate change related risks on the local level, focusing on the particular in Baltic Sea Region (BSR) conditions.

The climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme, requiring new innovative tactics to prevent disasters, and address risks. Risks related to climate change are not only the concern for professionals engaged with sustainable development. It is becoming more evident each year that climate change is an emerging security threat, and a field in need of multi-level risk governance. The unique project will increase practical risk management capabilities of local authorities in the Baltic Sea Region, as it brings together local administrations and civil protection practitioners, experts at universities and companies, national civil protection authorities and international bodies to achieve its goals. The project will seek to improve urban resilience in cities and towns, as well as the overall macro–regional resilience. The expected outcome of CASCADE is to adapt existing risk assessment methodology to the climate change context and tailor it to the local level.

This methodology will be used in a training course for city officials, responsible for civil protection. If successful, the training can be replicated by all BSR countries.

Furthermore CASCADE initates a region – wide policy dialogue on the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as an effective platform for cross – sectorial cooperation between different levels of governance and for greater policy coherence on climate risk assessments.

Main Facts

• Funding Programme: DG ECHO (European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid)
• Duration: 24 months (1.1.2019–31.12.2020)
• Budget: 850 871 euro
• Priority: Climate adaptation and Urban Resilience
• Lead Partner: City of Turku / Southwest Finland Emergency Services
• Project coordination: Miikka Toivonen ([email protected])
• A Flagship Project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region under Policy Area Secure

Outcomes

1. An online tool for integrated climate change and disaster risk reduction management
2. Guidelines for local level public administration on how to operationalize the proper risk treatment options
3. Training courses for the target groups, i.e. City officials responsible for civil protection in municipalities, city planners, architects, spatial planners, etc.
4. Policy dialogues between local, national, macro-regional, and international actors to
   • mainstream climate risk assessment into management and policy planning on the national and local level,
   • ensure coherence of relevant policies in the macro-region,
   • ensure sustainability and ownership of the project’s results through anchoring the results in the relevant policy level, and with the relevant stakeholders

Publications

• Overview of climate risk drivers, hazards and consequences
• The Role of Local Governments in Adapting to the Climate
• The Sendai Framework in the Baltic Sea Region

Website

Project website: http://www.cascade-bsr.eu/