A template for policy makers (you can use this PPT and modify it for your needs) Date, author, subject/ theme, etc. „Baltic Sea Region Challenges and Chances for local and regional development generated by Climate Change“ SPACE FOR YOUR OWN LOGO!

2 Structure 1a.What is climate change? 1b.What are climate models? 1c.What are climate scenarios? 2 Climate scenarios for specific areas 3. Changes in climate 4.What are impacts of and measures for your region? 5. Getting into action as a policy maker! Link to the toolkit

3 What is climate change? „(…) a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is, in addition to natural climate variability, observed over comparable time periods.“ (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Climate Change, 2007 Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 over the last 10,000 years (large panel) and since 1750 (inset panel).

4  Climate models are used to calculate the future climate and to produce climate scenarios.  These models are three-dimensional representations of the atmosphere, land-area, ocean, lakes and ice. What are climate models? Additional information:

 Climate scenarios present information on how the climate could possibly develop during a determined period of time in the future.  They are created by government authorities dealing with meteorology or climate issues and/or research institutes with the help of global climate models.  The calculations are based on assumptions about future changes in the atmosphere.  The results, which are based on calculations with the climate models, are called climate scenarios. 5 What are climate scenarios? Additional information:

6 A climate scenario example for the Baltic Sea Region Additional information: Change in average temperature, compared to the average [°C]. Winter (top left), spring (top right), summer (bottom left) and autumn (bottom right).

7 Climate scenarios for specific areas  In climate models the atmosphere is divided into a grid horizontally along the earth’s surface and vertically into the air.  For every point in the grid the development of different meteorological, hydrological and climatological parameters in time are calculated.  Regional climate models are used to produce regional climate scenarios.  Regional models of smaller areas of the earth are modeled e.g. over Europe with grid squares of km. Additional information: change-related-data/future-climate

8 Changes in climate ParameterImpacts Temperaturee.g. droughts, increased evaporation Precipitatione.g. increasing number of floods and heavy rainfall in Winter, reduced rainfall and droughts in Summer but irregular heavy rainfall Snow covere.g. crop productivity loss from severe cold, decreased water availability in spring Additional information:

What are impacts of and measures for your region?  What are impacts on natural and human systems?  Possibly impact A …, impact B …, and impact C … in your region  What are measures to react on climate change?  Mitigation: Avoid GHG and prevent expensive adaptation measures in your region  Adaptation: Measures to react on climate change impacts in your region  What are mitigation and adaptation strategies for the climate change generated challenges?  Strategy A … in your region  Measure A …, measure B …, and measure C … in your region 9 Additional information: impact-scenarios

Prepare the ground  Step 1: Prepare the ground by providing reliable information Assess vulnerability  Step 2: Assess vulnerability by initiating, supporting and driving the process Set a long term strategic direction  Step 3: Set a long term strategic direction by making clear commitments and integrate them into existing policies Plan and implement  Step 4: Plan and implement your strategies, plans, agreements and maps on different levels 10 Getting into action as a policy maker! Additional information:

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12 Link to the toolkit and a variety of examples to be integrated in your PPT: