Upgrading Sustainable Energy Communities in Mayors Adapt initiative by planning Climate Change Adaptation strategies (Life SEC Adapt)

The main objective of the Life SEC Adapt project is to increase climate resilience of local authorities in Italy and Croatia and help them prevent and adapt to climate change impacts by mainstreaming and integrating climate objectives into their local policies and practices through the adhesion to the ‘Mayors Adapt’ initiative. The ultimate objective is to adopt and upgrade the model of Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) in order to improve climate governance, making it a best practice model for the development of a climate change adaptation process in local authorities under the coordination of regional authorities and development agencies.

Specific project objectives are to:

• Increase awareness of local and regional decision-makers in 17 municipalities in Italy and Croatia of the importance and urgency of adopting climate change adaptation strategies. This will be achieved by implementing a capacity-building process involving the exchange of best practices and lessons learnt by more experienced municipalities from Greece, Spain and Italy;
• Reduce the knowledge gap between local and regional administrators on local climate vulnerabilities and risks. This will help them to develop effective climate change adaptation strategies and plans to prevent and react to extreme climate events in the short term and reduce social, economic and environmental impacts in the long term;
• Have the 17 involved municipalities sign and adopt climate change adaptation strategies and plans in the framework of the ‘Mayors Adapt’ initiative by updating existing sustainable energy actions plans (SEAPs);
• Set up and test an energy and climate monitoring system (SEC Adapt monitoring tool). This will enable the verification of the state of implementation of the selected mitigation and adaptation actions in order to redefine the objectives of the climate strategies of the municipalities involved. It will also support the monitoring required within the ‘Mayors Adapt’ and ‘Covenant of Mayors’ initiatives; and
• Facilitate the adoption of climate adaptation and mitigation policies and actions at cross-border level, drawing up a joint policy recommendation paper for a more coherent implementation of the climate and energy strategies in the macroregion.