Quantifying project impacts under 2 decrees Celsius warming (Impact2C)
Description:
Political discussions on the European goal to limit global warming to 2°C demands that discussions are informed by the best available science on projected impacts and possible benefits. IMPACT2C enhanced knowledge, quantifies climate change impacts, and adopted a clear and logical structure, with climate and impacts modelling, vulnerabilities, risks and economic costs, as well as potential responses, within a pan-European sector based analysis. IMPACT2C utilised a range of models within a multi-disciplinary international expert team and assessed effects on water, energy, infrastructure, coasts, tourism, forestry, agriculture, ecosystems services, and health and air quality-climate interactions. IMPACT2C introduces key innovations. First, harmonised socio-economic assumptions/scenarios were used to ensure that both individual and cross-sector assessments are aligned to the 2°C (1.5°C) scenario for both impacts and adaptation, e.g. in relation to land-use pressures between agriculture and forestry. Second, it had a core theme of uncertainty, and has developed a methodological framework integrating the uncertainties within and across the different sectors, in a consistent way. In so doing, analysis of adaptation responses under uncertainty were enhanced. Finally, a cross-sectoral perspective was adopted to complement the sector analysis. A number of case studies were developed for particularly vulnerable areas, subject to multiple impacts (e.g. the Mediterranean), with the focus being on cross-sectoral interactions (e.g. land use competition) and cross-cutting themes (e.g. cities). The project also assessed climate change impacts in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions: Bangladesh, Africa (Nile and Niger basins), and the Maldives. IMPACT2C integrated and synthesised project findings suitable for awareness raising and are readily communicable to a wide audience, and relevant for policy negotiations.
The results of the analyses undertaken in the IMPACT2C project are detailed in a user-friendly interactive IMPACT2C web-atlas.
Project information
Lead
HZG/Climate Service Center Germany
Partners
Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK), Uni Research AS, Meteorologisk Institutt, Sveriges Meteorologiska och Hydrologiska Insitut, Joint Research Centre - European Commission. Agenzia nazionale per le nuove technologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile (ENEA), Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Meteo France, Universität Graz, Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Internationales Institut für angewandte Systemanalyse (IIASA), Danish Meteorogical Institute, Koninklijke Nederlands Meteorologisch Insituut, Wageningen Universiteit, Technical University of Crete, Paul Watkiss Associates LTD, Université de Lausanne, University of Southampton, SEI Oxford Office LTD, MET Office, Ministry of Housing and Environmet, Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies, International Water Management Institute, Stichting Wetlands International, World Health Organisation, Institute of Water Modelling, Application for Development, GCF - Global Climate Forum EV.
Source of funding
FP7
Published in Climate-ADAPT Nov 16 2016 - Last Modified in Climate-ADAPT Dec 12 2023