1. 7th International Scientific Conference on Energy and Climate Change
8-10 October 2014
Athens, Greece
S. Poulos -Th. Paramana, UoA
G. Alexandrakis, IACM
Silvia Luis, ISCTE-IUL
V. Jolivet, ACTeon

2. Water in coastal Mediterranean areas
Is current decision making “adapted to internalize adaptation” into policy making?
Adaptation to Climate Change from a natural and social science perspective:
Water in coastal Mediterranean areas

3. The Consortium: 5 partners from 3 countries
ACTeon, Environment Research and Consultancy, France
BRGM, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, France
Universidade de Aveiro/ UAVR, Portugal
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa/ ISCTE-IUL, Portugal
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens / UoA, Greece
Project Coordinator: ACTeon
Project Web Site:

4. Total Cost: €
FUNDER organisations:
Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (MESDE), FR
Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (FST), PT
Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences (MKF),GR
Partners’ own funding
Duration: 24 months
Start Date: 1/12/2013

5. The Challenge
Grave role and importance of water for human life, nature and the economy
Societal challenges emerging from climate change to protect our water resources and ecosystem services.

6. In the last decade
Many assessments of the impacts of global and CC in the coastal zones have been undertaken BUT rarely connected to decision making on adaptation strategies BECAUSE OF the uncertainties associated to CC impacts strategies.
Generic methods to inform decision making (e.g. the robust decision making) exist, BUT they have rarely been set up at regional and local scale.
Adaptation is trans-sectorial, THUS, there is a need to better demonstrate how such measures can be taken within the existing regulation on development, risk prevention and land use planning.
In this context, ADAPT-MED questions:
Is current decision making “adapted to internalize adaptation” into policy making?

7. Project Objectives ADAPT-MED focuses on
the main factors that affect the capacity of decision making to effectively internalise adaptation to CC
and aims to
derive recommendations to adapt components of decision making so that adaptation can be better considered for in today’s decision making.

8. ADAPT-MED investigates three key components of decision making:
1 The policy instruments in place (regulation, financing, voluntary agreements, etc) &
their capacity to account for CC vulnerability and adaptation to CC
3 The main players of decision making processes with individual understanding, perceptions and values on ”adaptation”, who influence policy decisions: 1) to consider adaptation as a policy issue per se; 2) to develop an adaptation strategy for a given territory or sector; or 3) to systematically internalise adaptation in existing instruments and policies relevant to other policy domains (agriculture, water, land use, urban development, environment).
2 The decision making processes and the capacity of the current policy governance to ”give space” to adaptation issues in a context of uncertainty

9. Methodology The data collection and analysis include:
ADAPT- MED concentrates on 3 research sites;
Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon (Portugal)
Provences-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (France)
Northeastern coasts of Crete (Greece)
regions affected by increased urbanization & likely to be diversely affected by CC
The data collection and analysis include:

10. 1 A knowledge database developed for the 3 sites built on the collection of existing data, research results and relevant studies complemented by stakeholder interviews. The information is structured and stored in GIS.
2 Current practice of adaptation in these regions investigated using semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and decision makers at different scales and its relation to other regulatory mechanisms on land use planning and risk prevention.
3 The perceptions and values of decision makers and stakeholders towards adaptation to CC will be explored with the use of an online survey.
4 Desirable adaptation measures will be examined as well as the way they can be integrated within current policy, decision making and regulatory mechanisms through the organisation of an interactive policy exercise with groups of decision makers and stakeholders targeting to develop adaptation “strategies”.
5 The way changes in understanding, perceptions and values can result in changes in CC adaptation decisions will be examined by a post policy exercise survey.

11. Expected Results
In the field of decision making, ADAPT-MED is expected to produce a breakthrough related to sustainable development, risk prevention and adaptation to CC by:
Better linking vulnerability assessment with decision making, notably taking advantage of approaches such as the robust decision making
Focusing on decision making, both in terms of formalised or informal processes and decision makers considered as individuals whose perceptions and values are expected to significantly influence the way CC adaptation is made operational and effectively put in policy practice

12. In policy terms, thanks to the partnership established between researchers and policy makers in ADAPT-MED, it is expected that ADAPT-MED research will in the medium term contribute to:
The identification of (governance, institutional and decision making) constraints in the internalisation of adaptation in existing policies or the development of specific adaptation strategies as well as practical options for removing these constraints; change in understanding, perception and values of decision and policy makers on climate change adaptation.
Raise awareness and stakeholders involvement in CC adaptation in coastal areas in the three partner countries and the Mediterranean Region, as a key to the development and implementation of effective CC adaptation strategies and actions.

13. Thank you for your attention!