Climate change adaptation in the Baltic States. Current Developments on National Adaptation Strategies

In the Baltic States, climate change mitigation has been recognised as an important issue on national level and appropriate measures have been adopted. However, the portfolio of adaptation measures in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is much more limited. This becomes particularly evident when comparing the already taken action on adaptation by the Baltic States to other countries within the Baltic Sea Region, like Germany and Sweden. This background paper takes stock of current adaptation policies in the three Baltic States Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the ongoing activities regarding the formulation of national adaptation strategies (NAS) are presented for each of the three countries. It includes relevant national documents, a description of the responsibilities in each country, and science-policy interactions. Particular attention will be paid to the challenges and barriers to developing NAS.