Exceptional interest in the topic of adaptation to climate change in cities

With exceptional interest and twice as many participants as expected, one of the events preceding the largest scientific forum in the world dedicated to climate, which will be held in Sofia next week – 61st Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – took place.

The host of the conference was the National Trust Ecofund, which over the past four years carried out the first major initiative to implement the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.

The conference was opened by the Minister of Environment and Water, Mr. Petar Dimitrov, the Chairman of the Board of NTEF, the Executive Director of the National Association of Municipalities, a representative of KS and the Director of the Program Operator of the Program “Protection of the Environment and Climate Change” of The European Economic Area in a panel led by Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water in 2013 and 2023-2024.

The participants in the conference were mayors, deputy mayors and experts of municipalities, professors from universities, scientists from BAS institutes, NGOs, students, experts.

The conference discussed two main topics.

The leader of the topic “Usable science” was Assoc. Stelian Dimitrov, from SU “Kliment Ohridski”. With the participation of Svetlana Zhekova, board member of the EC Adaptation Mission, the participants discussed how scientific information can be made accessible and easy to use when making important investment decisions to protect against urban flooding or the urban heat island effect. There are many examples already where we have missed the opportunity to make informed decisions by referring to “usable science”. It is time to learn from our mistakes and use the scientific knowledge that is ready and at our fingertips.

Urban rivers are an important factor for adaptation to climate change. The panel discussion was led by Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water (2013, 2023 – 2024). Panelists included experts in hydrodynamics, landscape architecture, biodiversity, urban river management. The heated discussion continued outside the hall.

At the end of the conference, all participants endorsed the following concluding statement.

And between the two panel sessions the conference hosts invited participants to participate in a demonstration of a bicycle cinema, in which to watch a film, ten volunteers were required to pedal hard on the bicycles that produced the energy for the cinema projection.

The conference is the opening event of the new initiative of the NTEF to build capacity and implement innovative practices at the local level for adaptation to climate change in urbanized areas within the framework of the Bilateral Fund of the Environmental Protection and Climate Change Program of the European Economic Area. In partnership with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and eight Bulgarian municipalities, an innovative decision-making methodology for the selection of investment measures at specific locations in the cities was developed and implemented, and the measures were introduced.

The National Trust Eco Fund was established in 1995 through the first “Debt for Environment” swap transaction between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Swiss Confederation. From then until now, for almost 30 years, the fund has been financing projects in the field of environmental protection with funds received under inter-competitor agreements from the USA, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Malta or from the European schemes for the sale of greenhouse gas emissions. Over the last ten years, NTEF has also contributed to the development of environmental policies, including those for energy management in municipalities, the implementation of behavioral approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change.