CASCADE Project logo EU logo EUSBSR Flagship

The climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme, requiring new innovative tactics to prevent disasters, and address risks.

Risks related to climate change are not only the concern for professionals engaged with sustainable development. It is becoming more evident each year that climate change is an emerging security threat, and a field in need of multi-level risk governance.

The unique project will increase practical risk management capabilities of local authorities in the Baltic Sea Region, as it brings together local administrations and civil protection practitioners, experts at universities and companies, national civil protection authorities and international bodies to achieve its goals.

The project will seek to improve urban resilience in cities and towns, as well as the overall macro–regional resilience. The expected outcome of CASCADE is to adapt existing risk assessment methodology to the climate change context and tailor it to the local level.
 
This methodology will be used in a training course for city officials, responsible for civil protection. If successful, the training can be replicated by all BSR countries.

Furthermore CASCADE initiates a region – wide policy dialogue on the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as an effective platform for cross – sectorial cooperation between different levels of governance and for greater policy coherence on climate risk assessments.

MAIN FACTS

  • Funding Programme: DG ECHO (European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid)
  • Duration: 1.1.2019 – 30.6.2021
  • Budget: 850 871 euros
  • Priority: Climate adaptation and Urban Resilience
  • Lead Partner: City of Turku / Southwest Finland Emergency Services
  • Project coordination: Miikka Toivonen (miikka.toivonen@turku.fi)
  • A Flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region under Policy Area Secure

Project activities

Project activities involve all partners in different roles. The activities are carried out within in work packages (WP):

Work Package 1:
Project Management and Coordination of the Action (City of Turku / Southwest Finland Emergency Services)

Work Package 2:
Development of Guidelines on Integrated Climate Change and Disaster Risk Response Management. Lead: The Main School of Fire Service (SGSP).

Objective of this work package is to create a comprehensive portfolio of risk management methodologies and tools related to climate change to improve local level resilience.

Work Package 3:
Capacity building on integrated climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR) management. Lead: Hamburg Fire and Rescue Service (LFS).

Objectives of this work package are:

  • to increase the knowledge and capacity of civil protection experts and city planners by developing training courses in disaster risk reduction (DRR), including climate risk assessment and the Sendai Framework for DRR .
  • to promote the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR at the local level
  • to enchance the dialogue between the national and local level authorities and experts
  • to utilize the risk management methodology developed in WP 2

Work Package 4:
Initiating Policy Dialogue. Lead: CBSS – PA Secure and HA Climate 

The main objective of work package 4 is to mainstream climate risk assessment into management and policy planning on the national and local level, to ensure coherence of relevant policies in the macro-region, as well to ensure sustainability and ownership of the project’s results through anchoring the results in the relevant policy level, and with the relevant stakeholders. This will be achieved through
  • Analysing and mapping the current state of affairs, regarding the commitment, implementation and legislation relating to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, in respective countries in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).
  • Analysing and mapping the existing policies and regulations related to long-term climate risks assessment in the BSR.  
  • Preparing the Policy Dialogue, based on the above two analyses.
  • Promoting Policy Dialogue and the promotion of the results from work package 2 and 3, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, through establishing contacts, and planning meetings with relevant stakeholders in the BSR.  
  • Carrying out two large Policy Dialogue meetings, and bilateral meetings in respective MS, with relevant stakeholders.  
  • Ensuring strategies for ownership and continuity.

Work Package 5:
Communication and Dissemination of project processes and results. Lead: UBC Sustainable Cities Commission.

Objective of this work package is to ensure smooth and efficient internal and external communication activities and  disseminate the project findings and results to the relevant stakeholder groups. Furthermore the aim is to

  • share best practices from the UBC cities to other municipalities in the BSR and beyond
  • raise the awareness of the need for cooperation between and within sectors for climate change response
  • raise awareness of the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and its implementation in the BSR
  • Develop an online tool for integrated climate change and disaster risk reduction management

Project Outcomes

  • An online tool for integrated climate change and disaster risk reduction management
  • Guidelines for local level public administration on how to operationalize the proper risk treatment options
  • Training courses for the target groups, i.e. City officials responsible for civil protection in municipalities, city planners, architects, spatial planners, etc.
  • Policy dialogues between local, national, macro-regional, and international actors to
    - Mainstream climate risk assessment into management and policy planning on the national and local level to
    - ensure coherence of relevant policies in the macro-region, as well as to
    - ensure sustainability and ownership of the project’s results through anchoring the results in the relevant policy level, and with the relevant stakeholders