United against climate change

by Rasa Povilanskiene

From October 2005 till December 2007, Klaipeda participated in INTERREGIIIB project "Developing Policies and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in the BSR". Last autumn the project publication "Climate Change - Adaptation to its Impact in the Lithuanian Coastal Zone" was published. It introduces major results of the project. The most fragile environmental, economic and social spheres, where climate change impact will be chiefly manifested, as the seashore, forests, human health, tourism and recreation, the infrastructure of residential areas and industry, have been described in the book.

Just like in the majority of coastal cities, floods cause danger to Klaipeda due to rising water level in the Baltic Sea, and also because of abundant highly intense precipitation, and an amplified flow of rivers. The Vilnius University prepared maps of potentially endagered teritories in the city. The University also proposed measures to minimize the potential harm:

• While planning the city infrastucture development and building construction, the increased danger of certain city quarters must be taken into consideration. Parks, recreation zones, etc. should be established in the potentially overflown territories
• The rising sea level must be also taken into consideration. In the endangered zones, it is necessary to reconstruct (to reinforce and heighten) quays and embankments.
• To reconstruct and reform the city sewage system in potentially overflown territories.
• To avoid danger relating to pollution of wells, to guarantee a centralized water supply in potentially overflown areas.
• To create the warning system.

The recommendations on how to adapt to the climate change will allow the municipality to pay decent attention to future threats by creating and upgrading long-term city development strategies, expanding communications networks, improving the state of health of the citizens and vacationers, protecting beach areas, forests, dunes, etc.